SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1350        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1505

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Sal N. DiDomenico

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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 relative to fire safety education in schools and colleges.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1350        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1505

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1570 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to fire safety education in schools and colleges.

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. Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:- “Section 46. Establishment of a fire safety curriculum. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:- “Institute of higher education”, all postsecondary institutions including (i) the system of public institutions of higher education, established in section 5; (ii) private occupational schools, as defined in section 263 of chapter 112; and (iii) private colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning.

(b) All institutes of higher education shall require students to complete a comprehensive fire safety curriculum from an expert source. The curriculum shall include instruction on fire safety in a variety of scenarios, such as: fire prevention, fires in homes, in professional settings, in vehicles, wild and brush fires, fires while cooking, while camping, electrical fires, heating fires, smoking fires, solid, liquid and gas fires, smoldering fires, fast-burning fires, smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and leaving a fire scene, and any other matter the institution deems essential to the curriculum. Students shall complete an examination to test student proficiency.

SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:- “Section 98. Establishment of a fire safety curriculum. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:- “School”, every public or private elementary and secondary school in the commonwealth; provided, however, that the term school shall not include colleges and universities.

(b) All schools shall require students to complete a comprehensive fire safety curriculum by the end of the 10th grade from an expert source. The curriculum shall include instruction on fire safety in a variety of scenarios, such as: fire prevention, fires in homes, in professional settings, in vehicles, wild and brush fires, fires while cooking, while camping, electrical fires, heating fires, smoking fires, solid, liquid and gas fires, smoldering fires, fast-burning fires, smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and leaving a fire scene, and any other matter the institution deems essential to the curriculum. Students shall complete an examination to test student proficiency.