SB 422: Firefighter Recruitment and Retention

• Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall develop a mortgage assistance program for uniformed members of paid or volunteer fire departments to purchase principal residences in their service communities, utilizing down payment assistance and allowing mortgagees to realize equity gains upon sale.

• Adds tuition waivers at regional community-technical colleges, Connecticut State University System, and University of Connecticut for firefighters with 2+ years service and dependent children of firefighters with 5+ years service; also waives tuition for students attending state and municipal fire schools.

• Establishes a Volunteer Firefighter Length-of-Service Award Program with a dedicated trust fund, allowing eligible bona fide volunteer firefighters to earn service credits with payouts at age 65, after 20 years service, upon disability, or if inactive for 36+ consecutive months.

• Requires municipalities that hire firefighters within two years of their entry-level training to reimburse the initial employing municipality 50% of the training costs.

• Extends the deadline for the firefighter and emergency medical services shortage task force to submit findings to January 1, 2025, and updates the task force composition to include representatives focused on recruitment and retention solutions.