South Carolina S 101: Firefighter registration requirements

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 101 Text of Previous Version (May. 01, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 101

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Amended

May 1, 2025

S. 101

Introduced 
by Senator Gambrell 

S. Printed 5/1/25--H.

Read the first time February 26, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY 
AMENDING SECTION 40-80-50, RELATING TO INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE 
REGISTRATION OF FIREFIGHTERS BY THE OFFICE OF THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL, SO AS TO 
REVISE AND CLARIFY THE REQUIREMENTS.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 40-80-10(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (B) For purposes of this chapter:

 (1) 
"Employer" means any fire department or other entity 
which puts an individual or employee in service as a firefighter or assigns any 
person to work or to official duties as a firefighter whether or not the 
firefighter receives financial compensation.

 (2) 
"Employment date" means the date the fire chief certifies the firefighter has been added to the fire department's roster as a recruit or is 
trained and prepared to perform firefighting duties.

 (3) 
"Fire chief" means the highest ranking officer or official in charge of a fire 
department, whether or not called by some other title.

 (4) 
"Fire department" means any organization providing rescue, 
fire suppression, and related activities including any public or government 
sponsored organizations engaged in rescue, fire suppression, and related 
activities.any legally organized fire department or 
fire service in this State that:

 (a) engages in fire suppression and 
other related fire service activities;

 (b) provides fire protection to a 
dedicated response district, other than their own property, and must be 
officially recognized, created or chartered by a town, municipality, county, or 
the state;

 (c) has a Public Protection 
Classification (PPC) rating through the Insurance Services Office (ISO). This 
rating may be as an individual department or in conjunction with neighboring 
districts;

 (d) is dispatched by a 911 dispatch 
center or a local government-owned Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). 
Effective no later than July 1, 2026, the fire department must be verified by 
the State Fire Marshal's Office and issued a valid South Carolina Fire 
Department (SCFD) number and is eligible for a National Emergency Response 
Information System (NERIS) number; and

 (e) is registered and maintains a roster 
of its members with both the State Fire Marshal and the South Carolina State 
Firefighters' Association.

 (5) 
"Firefighter" means any person, male or female, paid or unpaid, who engages in 
rescue, fire suppression, or related activities under the supervision of a fire 
chief or fire department.

 (6) 
"Firefighting duties" means duties relating to rescue, fire suppression, public 
safety, and related activities as assigned by a fire chief.

SECTION 2. Section 40-80-40(C) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (C) A firefighter who works for or 
serves more than one fire department must be registered by each fire department.

SECTION 
3. Section 40-80-50 of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 Section 
40-80-50. Upon recommendation of a 
fire chief or other employer, the Office of the State Fire Marshal must 
register each firefighter subject to the provisions of Sections 40-80-30 and 40-80-40. The Office of the State 
Fire Marshal must maintain as minimum information on each firefighter the 
complete name, the date of birth, the social security number, a valid the South Carolina driver's license number, the employer, and the date of 
employment or membership. The Office of the State Fire Marshal must notify the 
chief of the employing fire department or other employer of the registration. 
This notification may be transmitted electronically or in written form. The 
fire chief must utilize forms as required and provided by the Office of the 
State Fire Marshal.

SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 01, 2025 at 07:39 PM