BILL NUMBER: S3443

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring fire extin-
guishers in every multiple dwelling

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

In the interest of public safety and fire prevention, this legislation
provides clear standards in law requiring landlords to provide fire
extinguishers in all multiple dwellings, at least one per floor with the
maximum travel distance between extinguishes to be 75 feet, which is the
NFPA standard.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Subdivision 5-e would be added to Section 378 of the Executive Law
requiring the installation of fire extinguishers within a multiple
dwellings- at least one per floor with the maximum travel distance
              

between extinguishes to be 75 feet, which is the NFPA standard.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

A recent devastating and tragic fire in Queens Village, which claimed
the lives of five individuals-all under the age of 21-is a call to
action in terms of fire safety. Sadly, the multiple dwelling that the
victims lived in was found to be absent of any working smoke detectors
and tire extinguishers.

While current New York State Laws, Rules and Regulations mandate the
presence of smoke detectors in multiple dwellings, there is currently no
such requirement with respect to fire extinguishers.

There is a common misconception that the majority of civilians cannot
properly use fire extinguishers. This assumption has influenced how fire
codes have historically been written and ultimately impacts the expan-
sive availability of fire extinguishers. However, a study to test the
validity of that assumption showed that 761 of novices handle fire
extinguishers correctly and are able to pull the pin and discharge the
agent. Furthermore, it is simply not enough to only have smoke alarms in
a residence because, as one study demonstrated, 40% of fire deaths from
2009 to 2013 happened in the presence of operating smoke alarm.

In Europe, two separate studies were conducted to measure the effective-
ness of fire extinguishers. One key finding was that around 80% of all
fires were effectively put out at their early stages by fire extin-
guishers; additionally, among those cases, around 75% of them did not
even require subsequent attendance from a fire department.  When these
results were extrapolated to the United States, the 80% extinguishing
level was maintained. In other words, in 80% of all fire incidents, a
portable fire extinguisher is the only firefighting tool needed to
extinguish the fire. Furthermore, approximately 6o% of those incidents
in the United States subsequently did not need notification to the fire
department. Therefore, not only were there findings favorable but they
were replicable further proving their validity. Moreover, it is impor-
tant to prevent a fire at its early stage because 93% of all fire-relat-
ed deaths and 95% of all direct property damage occur once the fire has
progressed beyond its early stages. Additionally, having afire extin-
guisher will not add any significant increase in cost to the resident
owner or the occupant because at least in commercial occupancies, the
current cost for portable fire extinguishers is less than one cent per
square foot.

Both hard data National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and life-ex-
perience indicate that the presence of fire extinguishers can have a
profound effect in terms of successfully putting out fires in their
incipient stages. In short, fire extinguishers can totally prevent or
significantly minimize the effects of a fire that breaks out. They are a
simple safety tool that can save lives.

In the name of safety-particularly in two family residences and larger
multiple dwellings-fire extinguishers should be as common as running
water, heat and hot water, and light and air. This bill cannot bring
back the lives of angels that we have lost, but it can prevent future
blazes and loss of life.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Passed Senate in 2020.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This shall take effect immediately.