The legislation also calls for school responders to foot the $593 bill for the course, which would include shoot/don't shoot training, as well as instruction on school safety protection, diffusing volatile situations and communicating with law enforcement.
The bill was prompted by last year's shooting at Townville Elementary School, which resulted in the death of first-grader Jacob Hall. The measure was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee last week. It could come up for a floor vote this week.
Meanwhile, proposals to hire more school resources officers or arm teachers appear to have little chance of passage before the South Carolina General Assembly adjourns next month.
Rep. Brian White, a Republican from Anderson who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, referred to Townville volunteer firefighter Jamie Brock during last week's discussion of the training bill. Brock was armed when he subdued accused gunman Jesse Osborne, 14, on the playground at Townville Elementary during the Sept. 28 shooting.
"The first responder who got there was a fireman, a volunteer fireman who had to use his weapon to take care of the situation," said White, one of the bill's five sponsors.
Rep. Phillip Lowe, a Republican from Florence who introduced the bill in January, said the required training would help protect first responders.
"We're basically putting these folks at risk," Lowe said.
Besides completing the one-week course, his legislation would require armed first responders at schools to possess concealed weapons permits.
Anderson County Fire Chief Jimmy Sutherland said his department would look into paying for volunteer firefighters to take the proposed training course.
"I think it is a good idea," Sutherland said.
Rep. Jonathon Hill, a Republican from Townville, said he isn't convinced that armed firefighters and other emergency personnel need more training to respond to school shootings.
"I'm skeptical," said Hill, adding that first responders already know how to react during emergencies.
In the weeks after the Townville shooting, Hall's family urged legislators to pass a law requiring armed school resource officers to be placed in all South Carolina schools.
No resource officer was at Townville Elementary when the shooting happened. Anderson School District 4 now has hired a full-time school resource officer for Townville Elementary.
Hill and and Rep. Joshua Putnam, a Republican from Piedmont, introduced bills that would give school districts the option of arming teachers and other employees. Before becoming lieutenant governor in January, Kevin Bryant proposed a similar bill in the Senate, as well as a measure that would give school districts the flexibility to use state money to hire school resource officers.
The proposed state budget does not include any money earmarked for hiring new school resource officers. No action has been taken on the bills introduced by Hill, Putnam and Bryant.
"Everybody agrees that we need more security in our schools, but the devil is in the details," Bryant said.
Hill said the bills that would allow teachers to be armed have run into "vehement" opposition from the state's education community.
Tom Dobbins, board chairman for Anderson School District 4, said his district plans to hire full-time school resource officers for La France Elementary School, Mt. Lebanon Elementary School and Pendleton Elementary School.
Dobbins said the district is seeking to balance the cost of added school security with its goal of maintaining small class sizes.
"Safety is a top priority," he said.
Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
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