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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2265 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2313
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker
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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.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/11/2023Sal N. DiDomenicoMiddlesex and Suffolk1/27/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/31/2023Steven Owens29th Middlesex2/7/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/8/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/8/2023Tackey Chan2nd Norfolk2/9/2023Simon Cataldo14th Middlesex2/9/2023Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/13/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex2/15/2023 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2265 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2313
By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2313) of
Marjorie C. Decker and others relative to fire safety education in schools and colleges. Public
Safety and Homeland Security.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2434 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:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the
2following section:- “Section 46. Establishment of a fire safety curriculum. (a) For the purposes of
3this section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the
4following meaning:- “Institute of higher education”, all postsecondary institutions including: (i)
5the system of public institutions of higher education, established in section 5; (ii) private
6occupational schools, as defined in section 263 of chapter 112; and (iii) private colleges,
7universities and other institutions of higher learning.
8 (b) All institutes of higher education shall require students to complete a comprehensive
9fire safety curriculum from an expert source. The curriculum shall include instruction on fire
10safety in a variety of scenarios, such as: fire prevention, fires in homes, in professional settings, 2 of 2
11in vehicles, wild and brush fires, fires while cooking, while camping, electrical fires, heating
12fires, smoking fires, solid, liquid and gas fires, smoldering fires, fast-burning fires, smoke
13inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and leaving a fire scene, and any other matter the
14institution deems essential to the curriculum. Students shall complete an examination to test
15student proficiency.
16 SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following
17section:- “Section 98. Establishment of a fire safety curriculum. (a) For the purposes of this
18section, the following term shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the
19following meaning:- “School”, every public or private elementary and secondary school in the
20commonwealth; provided, however, that the term school shall not include colleges and
21universities.
22 (b) All schools shall require students to complete a comprehensive fire safety curriculum
23by the end of the 10th grade from an expert source. The curriculum shall include instruction on
24fire safety in a variety of scenarios, such as: fire prevention, fires in homes, in professional
25settings, in vehicles, wild and brush fires, fires while cooking, while camping, electrical fires,
26heating fires, smoking fires, solid, liquid and gas fires, smoldering fires, fast-burning fires,
27smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and leaving a fire scene, and any other matter the
28institution deems essential to the curriculum. Students shall complete an examination to test
29student proficiency.