HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1568

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to public safety.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Act 83, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, established a prohibition on the adoption by the respective counties of any codes or regulations which require installation of residential fire sprinklers in one- and two-family dwellings, except to meet firefighting road access or water supply requirements.

     However, both national residential building codes have required residential fire sprinklers for the past nine years because of the fire sprinklers' reliability and effectiveness in suppressing a fire in its initial stages.

     The legislature finds that the prohibition continued in Act 83 is not in the best interest of public health and safety.  Residential fire sprinklers greatly reduce the spread of fire, increase fire survivability rates by eighty per cent, and significantly lessen property damages and other losses.

     The legislature also finds that the intensity, severity, and spread of fire in residential structures is directly related to the contents and furnishings inside the residential structures.  The volatility and toxicity of current synthetic materials allow for untenable conditions to be reached more rapidly, which is another reason for the installation of residential fire sprinklers.

     Finally, the legislature finds that the counties face unique challenges and issues relating to fire protection, including population density, proximity of structures, infrastructure, access, and limited fire protection resources. Therefore, this Act recognizes and establishes individual county authority or home rule as the appropriate method to apply residential fire sprinkler requirements.  This method is recognized, acknowledged, and supported by the evidence presented in the National Fire Protection Association's Fire Sprinkler Initiative, Legislative/Adoptions report that reported two states, California and Maryland, as having statewide requirements for residential fire sprinklers in new one- and two-family dwellings and seventeen states as having no statewide requirements, but allowing local jurisdictions to require residential fire sprinklers.

     The purpose of this Act is to repeal Act 83, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012.

SECTION 2.  Act 83, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, is amended by amending section 3 to read as follows:

     "SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2012; provided that on June 30, [2017,] 2016, this Act shall be repealed."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on June 30, 2016.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Public Safety; Fire Protection

 

Description:

Repeals Act 83, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, to allow the counties to adopt codes and regulations that would require the installation of residential fire protection sprinkler systems and re-establish the counties' home rule concept.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.