Fire and EMS now a separate department

The Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services is now a reality after a bill separating the service from the Department of Public Safety became law yesterday.

Prior to Senate Bill 18-057, SD 2 becoming Public Law 18-73, the CNMI Fire Division was the only remaining fire division in the United States under the wing of a public safety department.

The Legislature passed the bill after finding out that under the purview of DPS, the Fire Division received less than the required funds necessary to fully and properly operate the division.

It also noted that the Fire Division as a National Incident Management System-compliant organization performs multifaceted functions that extend beyond traditional fire suppression and emergency medical services and responds to over 8,500 calls annually for emergency and non-emergency fire and emergency medical services.

“The Legislature finds that the Fire Division’s operations has grown to such an extent that providing specific focus to the division’s missions of providing fire and emergency medical services to the general public has become problematic under its current government operational structure,” reads a portion of the now PL 18-73.

Under the new law, which passed without Gov. Eloy S. Inos’ signature, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services will be administered by a commissioner of Fire and EMS who would be appointed by the governor.

The resident commissioner of Fire and EMS on Tinian and Rota, meanwhile, will be appointed by the islands’ respective mayors with advice and consent of their respective municipal councils.

The Senate passed SB 18-057 last Aug. 21, while the House of Representatives passed the amended version, SB 18-057, SD 2, last Dec. 11 with a virtual army of firefighters and EMS personnel in attendance and crowding the House gallery.

With the creation of the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Commonwealth now has 13 principal departments instead of the previous 12.

Before the Legislature passed the bill creating the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services last year, there were also three other failed attempts to have similar bills passed before the House and Senate. Inos had to act on the bill—sign or veto it—within 40 days. Sans any gubernatorial action, any bill passed by the Legislature automatically becomes law.

The erstwhile Fire and EMS division currently has 96 personnel on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.