At the request of several constituents, I am planning to file legislation in the 2012 legislative session that would protect emergency first responders at their alternate places of employment. These constituents and I both feel that individuals who are willing to lay their lives on the line every day for us deserve a safety net.
Not only do I think first responders deserve our special consideration, but I also think it is prudent to encourage individuals to serve as first responders in rural Oklahoma. We do not want there to be a shortage in this critical area of public safety.
My bill would require employers to allow employees who also work as emergency first responders to take emergency calls without any threat of termination. This would address concerns that first responders could lose their jobs because of employers who didn’t like them leaving on an emergency call and firing them.
I am hoping to get input from various groups leading up to the legislative session, which begins in February 2012. For those wanting to weigh in on this or any other issue, please contact my office at (405) 557-7349 or by e-mail at https://webmail.okhouse.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=0b75c6c282fe4da187508f12a22e1f3a&URL=mailto%3ajosh.cockroft%40okhouse.gov.
