Concerns recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters; appropriates $2 million.

This bill creates a new $2 million stipend program to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters in New Jersey. It provides new volunteers aged 18+ with a $750 monthly stipend for 15+ hours of service per month during their first year, administered through the Department of State’s Office of Volunteerism. Firehouses must certify volunteer hours, and the program includes after-school fire service education in grades 6-8 to promote future recruitment. The $2 million appropriation funds the stipends and related initiatives through a dedicated, permanent state fund. The bill directly affects new volunteer firefighters, fire departments, and school districts offering the youth programs.