320.336. Termination from employment prohibited, when--loss of pay permitted, when--written verification of service permitted--employer notification requirements.

Termination from employment prohibited, when--loss of pay permitted,when--written verification of service permitted--employernotification requirements.

320.336. 1. No public or private employer shall terminate anemployee for joining any fire department or fire protection district,including but not limited to any municipal, volunteer, rural, orsubscription fire department or organization or any volunteer fireprotection association, as a volunteer firefighter, or the Missouri-1Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, or Urban Searchand Rescue Team, or being activated to a national disaster response by theFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

2. No public or private employer shall terminate an employee who is avolunteer firefighter, a member of Missouri-1 Disaster Medical AssistanceTeam, Missouri Task Force One, or Urban Search and Rescue Team because theemployee, when acting as a volunteer firefighter, or as a member ofMissouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, UrbanSearch and Rescue Team, or FEMA is absent from or late to his or heremployment in order to respond to an emergency before the time the employeeis to report to his or her place of employment.

3. An employer may charge against the employee's regular pay anyemployment time lost by an employee who is a volunteer firefighter, or amember of Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task ForceOne, Urban Search and Rescue Team, or FEMA because of the employee'sresponse to an emergency in the course of performing his or her duties as avolunteer firefighter, or a member of Missouri-1 Disaster MedicalAssistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, Urban Search and Rescue Team, orFEMA.

4. In the case of an employee who is a volunteer firefighter, or amember of Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task ForceOne, Urban Search and Rescue Team, or FEMA and who loses time from his orher employment in order to respond to an emergency in the course ofperforming his or her duties as a volunteer firefighter, or a member ofMissouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, UrbanSearch and Rescue Team, or FEMA, the employer has the right to request theemployee to provide the employer with a written statement from thesupervisor or acting supervisor of the volunteer fire department or thecommander of Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team or the FEMAsupervisor stating that the employee responded to an emergency and statingthe time and date of the emergency.

5. An employee who is a volunteer firefighter, or a member ofMissouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, UrbanSearch and Rescue Team, or FEMA and who may be absent from or late to hisor her employment in order to respond to an emergency in the course ofperforming his or her duties as a volunteer firefighter, or a member ofMissouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Missouri Task Force One, UrbanSearch and Rescue Team, or FEMA shall make a reasonable effort to notifyhis or her employer that he or she may be absent or late.

(L. 2007 S.B. 47, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1883)