[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2439 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
103d CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2439
To save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property through improved
State and local fire safety and prevention education, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 19 (legislative day, September 12), 1994
Mr. Bryan (for himself and Mr. Gorton) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property through improved
State and local fire safety and prevention education, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fire Safety and Prevention Education
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) fire losses in the United States are estimated at 5,000
deaths and 29,000 injuries annually, producing an economic loss
conservatively estimated at $10,000,000,000 per year, plus more
than $1,000,000,000 a year in health care costs;
(2) sustained and targeted fire safety and prevention
education at the State and local levels, particularly in
identifiable high-risk populations, produces dramatic results
in preventing fires, fire deaths, and dollar losses from fire;
(3) in recent years, the fire safety and prevention
education budgets of fire departments in the United States have
been cut dramatically or, in many cases, eliminated;
(4) there is a need to expand the availability of State and
local fire safety and prevention education programs and
supporting resources and materials to help State agencies and
local fire departments in carrying out effective public
education;
(5) fire departments in other countries with fewer fire
deaths per capita than the United States spend an average of 4
to 10 percent of the budgets of the departments on fire
prevention, versus less than 3 percent for United States fire
departments; and
(6) only by accurately collecting and analyzing data on
fire deaths, injuries, and dollar losses can United States fire
departments target the populations and regions where
educational efforts are most needed to create a more efficient
and effective use of resources.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means
the office of the State fire marshal for a State or an
equivalent State office having primary responsibility for fire
safety and prevention in the State.
(3) Fire safety and prevention education program.--The term
``fire safety and prevention education program'' means a
program that includes publications, audiovisual presentations,
or demonstrations, concerning fire safety and prevention.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
any other territory or possession of the United States.
SEC. 4. FIRE SAFETY AND PREVENTION EDUCATION.
(a) Authority.--The Administrator may enter into a contract or
cooperative agreement with, or make a grant to, an eligible entity in
order to obtain and distribute, at the State and local level, fire
safety and prevention education programs and supporting educational
resources.
(b) Use of Funds.--Of the amounts received by an eligible entity
under subsection (a)--
(1) not more than 25 percent may be used for statewide fire
safety and prevention education programs;
(2) not more than 25 percent may be used to implement new
regional or local fire safety and prevention education programs
targeting high-risk populations; and
(3) not less than 50 percent shall be used for awards, of
not more than $10,000 each, for regional or local fire safety
and prevention education programs, in existence on the day
before the date of receipt of the amounts, that have been
demonstrated to be effective in preventing fires, fire deaths
and injuries, and dollar losses from fire.
SEC. 5. DATA COLLECTION.
The Administrator may enter into a contract or cooperative
agreement with, or make a grant to, a State for the purpose of
implementing the revised National Fire Incident Reporting System at the
National Fire Data Center, established under section 9 of the Federal
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2208), to improve
and enhance the collection and analysis of fire data at the State and
local levels.
SEC. 6. APPLICATIONS.
Each eligible entity or State desiring a contract, cooperative
agreement, or grant under this Act shall submit an application to the
Administrator at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Administrator may reasonably require.
SEC. 7. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.
(a) Annual Report to Administrator.--An eligible entity receiving
funds under section 4 shall prepare and submit to the Administrator an
annual report that contains such information as the Administrator may
require. At a minimum, the report shall describe each program activity
undertaken with the funds, including a description of--
(1) any fire safety and prevention education program that
has been developed directly or indirectly by the eligible
entity and the target population of the program;
(2) any support material that has been obtained and the
method by which the material is distributed; and
(3) any initiative undertaken by the entity to develop a
public-private partnership to secure non-Federal support for
the development or distribution of a program or material in
furtherance of this Act.
(b) Report to Congress.--The Administrator shall prepare and submit
an annual report to Congress, including a description of each fire
safety and prevention education program undertaken and any material
developed or distributed by each eligible entity receiving funds under
section 4.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Fire Safety and Prevention Education.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to carry out section 4 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1996 and 1997, of which not more than $500,000 may be spent for
any fiscal year on administrative costs.
(b) Data Collection.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out section 5 $2,500,000 for fiscal year 1995, of which not more
than $300,000 shall be spent on administrative costs.
(c) Availability.--Amounts made available pursuant to subsection
(a) or (b) shall remain available until expended.
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