Bipartisan legislation will empower the Fire Administration to help investigate deadly fires and provide recommendations for prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI) today joined Representatives Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Haley Stevens (D-MI), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) in introducing the Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act, new bipartisan federal legislation to permit the United States Fire Administration (USFA) to assist local firefighter investigators after a major fire.
The bill would authorize USFA to send safety specialists, fire protection engineers, codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training specialists to collaborate and assist local firefighter investigators in their investigations. The bill also requires USFA to issue a report in coordination with federal, state, and local authorities on their findings and to provide recommendations for officials to implement to prevent similar fires from occurring in the future.
“Unfortunately, deadly fires are not uncommon, and too often they devastate families and communities,” said Rep. Meijer. “This bill will help establish better coordination at the federal level to investigate these fires and ultimately prevent them from occurring. If we can resolve the underlying issues that make these tragedies more likely, we can save lives. I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan legislative effort.”
This legislation is supported by the City of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids Fire Department.
“Often times people assume our work ends when the flames go out. But as families grieve and people start to rebuild, fire professionals get to work to understand both what caused the fire and how we can prevent it from happening again. This is a necessary process that can sometimes be tedious and resource intensive. Accessing additional support from our federal partners isn’t just helpful but will save lives.” – John Lehman, Chief, Grand Rapids Fire Department
The Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act is also supported by the New York City Fire Department, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Original source can be found here.
