STAND. COM. REP. NO. 274

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 564

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 564 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow, rather than require, the county fire chief to conduct an inspection of all buildings and premises to provide fire prevention and pre-fire planning.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Fire Council, Honolulu Fire Department, and Kauai Fire Department.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that this measure would allow fire inspections to be conducted in accordance with fire and life safety risks of the building.  Thorough and complete fire inspections reduce the risk of fire but are time-consuming because repeated follow-up inspections are required until compliance is achieved.  Fire departments can utilize their limited resources more efficiently and effectively by focusing on structures with high risk and occupancy, such as assembly buildings and high rises.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an unspecified number of years for inspections of buildings and premises other than public schools which remain at least once a year.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 564, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 564, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair