(b) The state fire marshal, with the assistance of an advisory committee appointed pursuant to K.S.A. 31-135 and amendments thereto, shall adopt rules and regulations and specify the number of investigators for departments or areas and establish standards for certification of members of fire departments to make arrests, carry firearms and conduct searches and seizures pursuant to this section. No fire department personnel shall be certified to carry firearms under the provisions of this act without having first successfully completed the firearm training course or courses prescribed for law enforcement officers under K.S.A. 74-5604[*], and amendments thereto.
(c) With the exception of firearms training, nothing in this section shall be construed to require persons employed prior to the effective date of this act to comply with the standards established by the state fire marshal pursuant to this section as a condition of continued employment, and such persons' failure to comply with such standards shall not make such persons ineligible for any promotional examination for which they are otherwise eligible or affect in any way any pension rights to which they are entitled on the effective date of this act.
History: L. 1982, ch. 135, § 1; July 1.