§ 204-B — Youth programs

§ 204-b. Youth programs. 1. Volunteer fire departments and fire\ncompanies may establish, operate and maintain youth programs to provide\nparticipants with the opportunity to become familiar with the programs\nand operations of fire departments, to provide programs in community\nfire safety, fire prevention, and public fire prevention education, and\nto curtail false fire alarms by developing community wide respect for\nthe fire service.\n 2. Volunteer fire departments and fire companies shall establish rules\nand regulations governing youth programs established pursuant to\nsubdivision one hereof, which shall include the minimum and maximum age\nfor participation, the procedure for participation, removal or\nexpulsion, residence, and provision for adequate supervision of such\nprograms.\n 3. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any volunteer\nfire department or fire company, any member or members thereof,\nofficers, board of fire commissioners or other body or office having\nauthority to determine eligibility for participation in such programs\npursuant to this section, to exclude or expel from participation in such\nprograms any individual because of race, creed, color, sex or national\norigin, or to discriminate against any participant because of race,\ncreed, color or national origin.\n 4. No person shall participate in such program without the written\nconsent of his or her parent or guardian. Such consent shall continue\nuntil withdrawn. If withdrawn, participation in such program shall\nautomatically terminate.\n 5. All activities of participants in such program shall be approved in\nadvance by the chief, or his designee. No activities may include\nemergency duties in connection with fire department or fire company\noperations or any other hazardous activity.\n 6. Participants in such programs shall not be eligible for any benefit\nprovided by the volunteer firefighters' benefit law.\n 7. Volunteer fire departments and fire companies may purchase accident\ninsurance to insure participants in such programs against injury or\ndeath resulting from bodily injuries sustained in performance of\napproved activities. In addition, they may purchase insurance to protect\nagainst liability arising from approved activities. The insurance\npurchased pursuant to this subdivision may include medical and hospital\ncoverage.\n 8. No youth program shall be established pursuant to subdivision one\nof this section unless authorized as follows: in a city the youth\nprogram must be authorized by the board of fire commissioners or other\nbody or officer having control of fire department; in a village the\nprogram must be approved by the board of fire commissioners or, if there\nis no board of fire commissioners, the village board of trustees; in a\nfire district the program must be authorized by the board of fire\ncommissioners; in a town outside a village or a fire district the\nprogram must be authorized by the town board.\n