STAND. COM. REP. NO. 191

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 776

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 776 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to clarify that county fire chiefs are not responsible for conducting fire inspections at state-owned airport facilities.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

     Your Committees find that the state airports have their own fire fighting units that should be responsible for fire inspections of state airport facilities.  Existing law in section 132-6(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, gives the State the responsibility to conduct fire and safety inspections at all state-owned airport facilities at least once a year.  However, the county fire chiefs have been doing the inspections under its purview authority over all fires and fire hazards within the counties.

     Your Committees note that existing law in section 132-6(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires the State to conduct fire and safety inspections at all state-owned airport facilities at least once a year.  Your Committees have been informed that the state airport fire unit at Honolulu International Airport and the Fire Department of the City and County of Honolulu, have worked well together to coordinate and assist in their efforts to inspect the airport, which is the most critical in terms of size of all state airports.  Your Committees recommend that this amicable cooperation continue in the interest of public safety, notwithstanding this measure.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 776 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair