California Law Expanded to Permit Job-Protected Leave for More Emergency Responders
Author: Melissa Burdorf, XpertHR Legal Editor
August 26, 2013
Effective January 1, 2014, a new law in California will make more employees who perform emergency duty eligible to take job-protected leave to attend fire, law enforcement or emergency rescue training without fear of losing their job. 2013 Bill Text CA A.B. 11.
Current law provides job protection to volunteer firefighters, reserve peace officers and emergency rescue personnel when they perform emergency duty, but provides job protection only to volunteer firefighters when they attend fire or law training.
Under the amended law, all three categories of employees (volunteer firefighters, reserve peace officers and emergency rescue personnel) will be allowed to take up to 14 days per calendar year to attend training, including emergency rescue training, without fear of losing their job.
Supporters of the law assert that this change will assist agencies in ensuring that their reserve officers and emergency rescue personnel attend much-needed training.
Before January 1, employers with 50 or more employees should:
- Revise any disaster services leave or emergency responder leave policies to add in the new categories of employees who can take leave for training;
- Train supervisors on the new law so that they do not discriminate or retaliate against the new categories of employees taking leave for training; and
- Advise employees of the new law.
Other than preparing for an employee's leave during an emergency or disaster, employers may also be interested in the information prepared by California's Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) on emergency and disaster preparedness.