1 of 1 SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1350 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1505 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _________________ PRESENTED BY: Sal N. DiDomenico _________________ 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 :Sal N. DiDomenicoMiddlesex and SuffolkMichael J. BarrettThird Middlesex1/27/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/9/2023 1 of 2 SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1350 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1505 By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1505) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Michael J. Barrett and Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation relative to fire safety education in schools and colleges. Public Safety and Homeland Security. [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION SEE SENATE, NO. 1570 OF 2021-2022.] The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _______________ In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court (2023-2024) _______________ 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, as appearing in the 2020 Official 2Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:- “Section 46. Establishment of a fire 3safety curriculum. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following term shall, unless the 4context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:- “Institute of higher education”, 5all postsecondary institutions including (i) the system of public institutions of higher education, 6established in section 5; (ii) private occupational schools, as defined in section 263 of chapter 7112; and (iii) private colleges, universities 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, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, 17is hereby amended by adding the following section:- “Section 98. Establishment of a fire safety 18curriculum. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following term shall, unless the context 19clearly requires otherwise, have the following meaning:- “School”, every public or private 20elementary and secondary school in the commonwealth; provided, however, that the term school 21shall not include colleges and universities. 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.