I. Any state employee who is a certified volunteer wildland firefighter may, with the authorization of the employee’s supervisor, be granted a leave of absence with pay to participate in wildland fire emergencies to include non-wildland fire emergencies in another state or province pursuant to an agreement with the following: The Northeastern Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact and the United States federal government. Requests for assistance shall be received and dispatched via the department of natural and cultural resources, division of forests and lands.
II. An employee, under this section, after completing one year in state service, may be entitled to not more than 30 working days in any fiscal year for such duty. Each participating employee shall be paid the employee’s regular pay plus overtime. Upon the employee’s return, the division of forests and lands shall bill the agency that requested aid for all reimbursable costs incurred pursuant to the terms of the agreement with the Northeastern Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact and/or the United States federal government. The division shall provide reimbursement to the departments for which the firefighter is employed.
III. All funds reimbursed for services provided under this section shall be deposited in the appropriate pay or overtime account of the agency for whom the state employee works.
IV. This section shall not apply to employees of the department of natural and cultural resources.
Source. 2008, 162:1, eff. June 6, 2008. 2017, 156:14, I, eff. July 1, 2017.