For Immediate Release
December 18, 2003
Please Contact: Colin Durrant (617)722-1650 or
Dalié Jiménez, 617-722-1650

Barrios Spearheads Efforts To Promote Fire Safety

Boston, MA - Senator Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge) last week joined other lawmakers and Albert Gray, who lost his son in the Rhode Island Station Night Club fire in announcing a set of expansive new fire safety recommendations that touch on everything from mandatory sprinklers to increased staffing and education, particularly on the use of fire extinguishers. The recommended changes are a result of almost a year of research into the state's current laws and how lawmakers can act quickly to protect residents and fire fighters from the devastating and tragic consequences of building fires.

“Our homes, workplaces and clubs will be better protected from devastating fires only if we act immediately to strengthen fire safety laws," said Senator Barrios. "In addition to strict sprinkler requirements, lawmakers have looked at the larger picture, including better building codes and enhanced training and staffing for local fire departments. Our goal is to develop one of the strongest fire codes in the country so that we can avoid future tragedies.”

Senator Barrios, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety, and his co-chair Representative Tim Toomey, acted immediately after the devastating Rhode Island night club fire to review the state's laws that are meant to protect people from fires. In addition to becoming the first in the state to call for mandatory sprinklers and a ban on pyrotechnics in nightclub dancehalls, Barrios and the Public Safety Committee organized a Subcommittee on Fire Safety to gather public testimony about necessary changes to fire safety regulations. The subcommittee, which was co-chaired by Representative Reinstein, held public hearings in Rockland, Hyannis, Boston and Revere and was involved in drafting the expansive new proposed regulations.

The changes recommended by Barrios and the Joint Committee on Public Safety include:

• Increasing focus on training, equipment and staffing for local fire departments: Lawmakers are proposing to re-institute “Fire Service Grants,” a competitive grant process that would provide money for purchasing new fire equipment. Fire Departments can select from a “menu” of available equipment and can also use up to 50% of award monies towards supplementing staff salaries.
• Expanding awareness of Fire Extinguishers/Smoke Detectors: The effectiveness of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors has been overshadowed by the recent attention on automatic sprinklers. Early warning devices, such as smoke or heat detectors, alert occupants to impending danger in order to take quick action against fire. Fire extinguishers provide a primary means of protection by allowing occupants to quell a blaze before it gets out of control or to clear an escape route if the fire is spreading too quickly.
• Implementing Fire Safety Education Programs at Schools: Barrios promised to find a way to provide funding for the SAFE Program (Student Awareness of Fire Education). SAFE is a state fire safety education initiative that allows local fire departments to train students in grades K-12 to recognize the dangers of fire and more specifically the fire hazards tobacco products pose. Unfortunately, this program was cut from the state’s budget in 2002.
• Requiring Sprinklers and Banning Pyrotechnics: Barrios was one of the first public officials in Massachusetts to support a bill that calls for mandatory sprinklers in nightclubs & dancehalls and completely bans all pyrotechnics displays in the same venues.

Senator Barrios also reminded constituents that the National Fire Protection Association has found the month of December to be one of the most dangerous months for house fires. Barrios encouraged families and friends "to spread the word to everyone you know to keep your families safe this holiday season by checking all smoke detectors and being sure to not leave candles, electrical devices and wood fires unattended."

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