Bill Text: HI SCR3 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Convening A Task Force To Study The Issue Of Residential Sprinkler Costs In New One- And Two-family Dwellings.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-04-27 - Received notice of Senate agreement and Adoption (Sen. Com No. 966). [SCR3 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-SCR3-Amended.html

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

3

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

CONVENING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE ISSUE OF RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLER COSTS IN NEW ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, fire departments nationwide responded to more than fifty thousand home structure fires in 2015, resulting in more than two thousand five hundred fatalities, eleven thousand injuries, and more than $7,000,000,000 in direct damages; and

 

     WHEREAS, eighty-five percent of all fire deaths in the United States occur in the home, with people over sixty-five years of age, children under five, and those with disabilities at the greatest risk; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the City and County of Honolulu, there were one thousand sixty-eight structure fires between 2006 and 2015, resulting in twenty-seven civilian deaths, one hundred fifty-two civilian injuries, and more than $100,000,000 in direct damages; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic fire sprinklers have been in service for more than one hundred fifty years and have had great success in saving lives, protecting property, and preserving natural resources; and

 

     WHEREAS, automatic fire sprinklers operate effectively over eighty-five percent of the time, and reduce civilian deaths by eighty-three percent, civilian fire injuries by fifty-three percent, firefighter injuries by sixty-five percent, and property damage by sixty-nine percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, use of automatic fire sprinklers reduces greenhouse gas emissions by ninety-seven percent, water usage between fifty and ninety percent, and waste water pollutants generally; and

     WHEREAS, all editions from 2009 to 2018 of the International Building Code and the National Fire Protection Association 5000's Building Construction and Safety Code mandate fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwelling construction; and

 

     WHEREAS, the costs of automatic fire sprinkler installation may vary among counties; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that a task force be convened to study the costs of installing automatic fire sprinkler systems in new one- and two-family dwellings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be composed of the following persons or their designees:

 

     (1)  Chairperson of the State Fire Council, or the Chair's designee, who shall serve as chairperson of the task force;

 

     (2)  President of the Senate, or the President's designee;

 

     (3)  Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the Speaker's designee;

 

     (4)  Insurance Commissioner, or the Commissioner's designee;

 

     (5)  Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, or the Director's designee;

 

     (6)  Director of the Hawaii County Department of Public Works, or the Director's designee;

 

     (7)  Director of the Maui County Department of Planning, or the Director's designee;

 

     (8)  County Engineer of the Kauai County Department of Public Works, or the County Engineer's designee;

     (9)  Manager and Chief Engineer of the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, or the Manager and Chief Engineer's designee;

 

    (10)  Manager and Chief Engineer of the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply, or the Manager and Chief Engineer's designee;

 

    (11)  Director of the Maui County Department of Water Supply, or the Director's designee; and

 

    (12)  Manager and Chief Engineer of the Kauai County Department of Water, or the Manager and Chief Engineer's designee; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chairperson of the task force invite a representative from each of the following entities to serve as task force members:

 

     (1)  Building Industry Association of Hawaii;

 

     (2)  General Contractors Association of Hawaii;

 

     (3)  American Institute of Architects Honolulu;

 

     (4)  Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Hawaii; and

 

     (5)  Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to perform a comparative analysis of the varying county costs for materials, labor, permits, and other related fees to install automatic fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit to the Legislature a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the State Fire Council; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Insurance Commissioner; Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting; Director of the Hawaii County Department of Public Works; Director of the Maui County Department of Planning; County Engineer of the Kauai Department of Public Works; Manager and Chief Engineer of the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply; Manager and Chief Engineer of the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply; Director of the Maui County Department of Water Supply; Manager and Chief Engineer of the Kauai County Department of Water; President of the Board of Directors of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii; President of the Board of Directors of the General Contractors Association of Hawaii; President of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects Honolulu; Executive Director of the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Hawaii; and President of the Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Report Title:

Urging the formation of a task force to study the issue of residential sprinkler costs in new one- and two-family dwellings

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