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Sen. Tom Carper stopped at the Georgetown fire hall Monday, Nov. 19, to announce the introduction of the Firefighters and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act.
This legislation will help protect the jobs of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel in the case of extended duty for disasters.
Carper urged the firefighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to contact their colleagues in Massachusetts and Wyoming and to urge them to write to Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sen. Michael Enzi of Wyoming - ranking members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the committee that will conduct hearings on this bill.
To receive the protections offered under the bill, first responders must provide reasonable notice to their employers before missing work and must provide regular updates during the course of their absence.
The bill also allows volunteer firefighters or EMS personnel to take legal action against businesses that violate this law.
The legislation places a 14-day limit on the amount of time first responders may take off from their jobs before being subject to disciplinary action. The bill does not require employers to pay volunteers for time away from work.
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