Municipalities must plan for fire coverage and track providers

Fire protection entities must register with their municipality, and each municipality must record the information and create a local fire protection plan. The requirements cover entities responsible for fire protection in any part of a municipality and all municipalities. Registrations must include the service area's demographic information and the entity's name and contact information. Local plans must describe service providers, service areas, agreements, performance standards, response data practices, and mutual aid arrangements. The Commission on Fire Prevention and Control may require municipalities to send plans to the State Fire Administrator and may establish review and rating procedures. Registration and initial local plans are due by July 1, 2027. Municipalities must review and revise plans as needed beginning July 1, 2032, and every five years afterward.

Municipalities must take steps to keep fire protection running if local service stops or is interrupted. The state may provide assistance through the Connecticut Fire program. The continuity duty applies within each municipality's territorial limits. The Connecticut Fire program may assist municipalities or fire authorities that choose to participate, including by placing paid resident firefighters with volunteer departments and districts. A municipality may use its own department, contracts, a temporary or permanent provider, mutual aid, or a regional arrangement to maintain service. The State Fire Administrator may implement the Connecticut Fire framework only after Commission approval and only within available appropriations. Grants may go to participating municipalities to support regional fire services and shared resources after the program is implemented. The continuity and Connecticut Fire provisions take effect October 1, 2026, except the Connecticut Fire program and grant provisions take effect from passage. Implementation of the program depends on an approved framework and funding in an approved state budget.

State and local agencies must collect, report, and maintain information about emergency calls, fire chiefs, and career and volunteer firefighters. The data duties cover public safety answering points, regional emergency telecommunications centers, municipalities, fire districts, fire protection entities, and firefighters statewide. Emergency call reports must include call counts, answer and transfer or termination times, and other information requested for the state system. Firefighter registry information is for verifying training, credentials, and eligibility for benefits. The emergency dispatch data system must operate within approved appropriations. The dispatch system and related reporting rules take effect July 1, 2026. Fire chief and firefighter registries must be established by July 1, 2027, with the chief registry updated annually.

The motor vehicles commissioner may issue permits for colored or flashing lights on specified emergency, fire, medical, maintenance, and other vehicles. The rules cover volunteer and paid fire personnel, emergency medical organizations, emergency managers, fire marshals, constables, public agencies, maintenance vehicles, and certain transport vehicles. Volunteer fire members need authorization from their department or company chief to use permitted blue lights while responding to an emergency. Some vehicles may use specified lights without a motor vehicles permit, while unauthorized use of colored or flashing lights is an infraction. Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians may use flashing white headlamps only with written authorization and within the stated municipal boundaries. These vehicle-light provisions take effect October 1, 2026.