THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 34 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 S.D. 1 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A PRIORITY LIST FOR REPAIRING PUBLIC SCHOOL FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS AND STUDY ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVES.
THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 34
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
THE SENATE
S.C.R. NO.
34
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A PRIORITY LIST FOR REPAIRING PUBLIC SCHOOL FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS AND STUDY ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVES.
WHEREAS, properly functioning fire alarm systems are essential for public school safety; and WHEREAS, the impact of fires is significantly worsened for aging facilities; and WHEREAS, as of 2022, the average age of public school buildings in Hawaii is seventy-two years, according to the Department of Education; and WHEREAS, approximately twenty percent of Hawaii's two hundred fifty-seven public schools are more than one hundred years old; and WHEREAS, the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code, commonly known as NFPA 101, requires schools to have functioning fire alarm systems; and WHEREAS, in 2017, the Department of Education acknowledged that King Intermediate School in Kaneohe had not had a working fire alarm system for seven years; and WHEREAS, in 2022, teachers at Konawaena Elementary School on Hawaii Island reported that the school's fire alarm system has been out of service for two years; and WHEREAS, a fire broke out at Konawaena Elementary shortly after the school's fire alarm system became inoperative in 2020; and WHEREAS, properly functioning fire alarms can be the difference between life and death should a fire break out at a public school; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is urged to create a priority list for repairing public school fire alarm systems and study acceptable alternatives; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Department of Education is requested to provide the priority list, along with a timeline for completing repairs, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Education, and Chairperson of the Board of Education. Report Title: DOE; Public Schools; Fire Alarm Systems; Repairs; Priority List
WHEREAS, properly functioning fire alarm systems are essential for public school safety; and
WHEREAS, the impact of fires is significantly worsened for aging facilities; and
WHEREAS, as of 2022, the average age of public school buildings in Hawaii is seventy-two years, according to the Department of Education; and
WHEREAS, approximately twenty percent of Hawaii's two hundred fifty-seven public schools are more than one hundred years old; and
WHEREAS, the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code, commonly known as NFPA 101, requires schools to have functioning fire alarm systems; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, the Department of Education acknowledged that King Intermediate School in Kaneohe had not had a working fire alarm system for seven years; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, teachers at Konawaena Elementary School on Hawaii Island reported that the school's fire alarm system has been out of service for two years; and
WHEREAS, a fire broke out at Konawaena Elementary shortly after the school's fire alarm system became inoperative in 2020; and
WHEREAS, properly functioning fire alarms can be the difference between life and death should a fire break out at a public school; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is urged to create a priority list for repairing public school fire alarm systems and study acceptable alternatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Department of Education is requested to provide the priority list, along with a timeline for completing repairs, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Education, and Chairperson of the Board of Education.
Report Title:
DOE; Public Schools; Fire Alarm Systems; Repairs; Priority List