NY A08371

Adds General Municipal Law Section 209-h requiring each county to establish a county firefighter reserve and each city, town, and village to establish a fire department to oversee all firefighter entities operating within the municipality.

County firefighter reserves must hire and train professional firefighters available for dispatch to firefighter entities to ensure safe staffing, with priority given to hiring volunteer firefighters from local firefighter entities.

Establishes minimum safe staffing requirements for firefighter entities based on population density: 15 firefighters for areas with 1,000+ people per square mile; 10 firefighters for 500-1,000 people per square mile; and 6 firefighters for areas with 500 or fewer people per square mile.

Limits use of reserve firefighters to emergency medical services calls only and requires them to be trained specifically for such purpose.

Clarifies that the act does not dissolve or merge any existing firefighter entities; takes effect immediately upon enactment.