Bill Text: HI HB369 | 2014 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Fire Safety; Residential Kitchen Fire Task Force

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2014-02-19 - Received notice of discharge of conferees (Hse. Com. No. 41). [HB369 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-HB369-Amended.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	369
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		H.D. 3
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 2

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO FIRE SAFETY.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds it is in the interest of the State to enhance public safety by encouraging the voluntary installation of fire suppression systems to reduce the occurrence and severity of residential kitchen fires.

     Studies across the country demonstrate the danger of kitchen fires.  According to the United States Fire Administration and National Fire Data Center's 2004 Report on Kitchen Fires, approximately thirty per cent of structure fires first ignite in the kitchen, and, among all structure fires, kitchen fires account for twelve per cent of deaths, thirty-two per cent of injuries, and ten per cent of property loss.  According to a 2011 Honolulu fire department report, more than forty-five per cent of residential structure fires were cooking fires, resulting in a total loss of $842,755.  In 2011, the National Fire Protection Association reported that fifty-eight per cent of home fires caused by non-cooking equipment involved refrigerators, freezers, and ice makers, and thirty-nine per cent involved dishwashers.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking equipment-related fires are the leading cause of fire loss.  During the five-year period of 2006 to 2010, cooking equipment was involved in 157,300 reported home structure fires, resulting in three hundred eighty civilian deaths, 4,920 civilian injuries, and $794,000,000 in direct property damage per year.

     In addition to the need to reduce the number and severity of residential kitchen fires, the legislature finds that it is desirable for dwelling owners and occupants to have a choice to install cost-effective systems that will enhance fire safety and mitigate the severity of kitchen fires.

     The legislature further finds that providing a financial incentive to owners will increase the installation rate of fire suppression systems in new and existing construction.  One possible financial incentive would be the establishment of revised insurance rating procedures that consider pre-mitigation systems as a risk reduction measure.

     The legislature also finds that there may be a need to reform regulations and licensing requirements that are barriers to the efficient installation of systems that conform to nationally recognized design, installation, and credentialing standards.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish a residential kitchen fire task force to research and develop plans, including legislation, to address the dangers of residential kitchen fires.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established a residential kitchen fire task force, which shall be exempt from section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  The task force shall:

     (1)  Evaluate current and past fire incident data relating to residential kitchen fires in the State;

     (2)  Review current insurance rating plans and methodology and the possible incorporation of pre-mitigation systems as a risk reduction measure;

     (3)  Identify other possible financial incentives for voluntary installation of pre-mitigation systems in residential kitchens; and

     (4)  Review current regulations and licensing requirements for the installation of pre-mitigation systems in residential kitchens and propose amendments to the requirements to conform with current nationally recognized standards.

     (b)  A representative of the state fire council shall chair and convene the residential kitchen fire task force, which shall consist of the following members or their designees:

     (1)  The chairperson of the state fire council fire prevention committee;

     (2)  The state insurance commissioner; and

     (3)  The licensing administrator of the department of commerce and consumer affairs professional and vocational licensing division.

     (c)  The chairperson of the task force shall invite representatives from the following stakeholders to participate as members:

     (1)  The residential insurance industry;

     (2)  The Building Industry Association of Hawaii;

     (3)  The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1186;

     (4)  The General Contractors Association of Hawaii;

     (5)  The Plumbers and Fitters UA Local Union 675; and

     (6)  The Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association.

     The chairperson shall also invite as a participating member a technical expert on fire suppression systems.

     (d)  The task force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2014.

     (e)  The members of the task force shall not be compensated for their service and shall not be reimbursed for expenses incurred while serving on the task force.

     (f)  The task force shall cease to exist on June 30, 2014.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2013.

 

Report Title:

Fire Safety; Residential Kitchen Fire Task Force

 

Description:

Establishes a Residential Kitchen Fire Task Force to develop plans to address the dangers of residential kitchen fires.  Report to the 2014 Legislature.  (SD2)

 

 

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