SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1634        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1604

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jason M. Lewis, (BY REQUEST)

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to establish a committee on fire safety inspection standards.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1634        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1604

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act to establish a committee on fire safety inspection standards.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) The Executive Office of Public Safety shall, after the formation of a committee comprised of fire chiefs or deputy fire chiefs in the Commonwealth, issue a report on the equity, predictability and accuracy of the method of determining each municipality’s ability to contribute toward fire departments and the calculation of each municipality’s required local contribution; provided, however, that the committee shall solicit public comment.

(b) Not later than December 31, 2021, the Executive Office of Public Safety shall file a report with the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(c) The committee shall be made up of no more than 15 members, composed of fire chiefs and deputy fire chiefs from across the Commonwealth. Every effort shall be made to ensure equal representation of the various sized departments in the Commonwealth.

The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) an analysis of current fire departments in the state and their average budgetary constraints(ii) a survey of deficiencies in the departments, identifying common trends and potential solutions to address them (iii) an assessment of how fire equipment shall be inspected in the Commonwealth as it pertains to the everyday operation of the fire department. This shall include the oxygen tanks, the hoses, and any equipment not already inspected under Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards or National Fire Prevention Association standards. (vii) the determination of the needs of fire departments and what constitutes effective operational conditions (viii) an analysis of the cost of implementing said standards created by the committee and what financial aid may be available to help to implement said standards.

The report shall also make recommendations to refine or revise the method of determining future budgetary needs, the creation of future training programs, the improvement of current training programs, and any other possible remedies identified by the committee.