Senator Martins Announces Passage of Legislation to Help Protect Families From Tragedies

Legislation Aims to Reduce House Fire Related Deaths by Requiring Smoke Detectors with a Non-Removable Battery

     Senator Jack M. Martins (R-7th Senate District) announced that the New York State Senate and Assembly recently passed legislation to help protect families from fire-related tragedies in their homes.

     The legislation (S2696A), of which Senator Martins is a sponsor, aims to reduce house fire related deaths by requiring battery operated smoke alarms sold in New York State have batteries that are non-replaceable, non-removable and will power the device for a minimum of ten years.

     “Smoke alarms are often the single most important factor between life or death in a fire; however, they can only save your life if they are working properly. People often forget to check their smoke alarm batteries every six months, and many don’t know that even a properly maintained smoke alarm has a useful life of ten years. This puts their families at a greater risk of tragedy. The types of smoke alarms this bill would require not only improve safety in people’s homes; they are more convenient for homeowners and often cheaper overall because they don’t have batteries which must be continually replaced. Governor Cuomo should sign this legislation when it reaches it desk,” said Senator Martins.

     According to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), fire departments respond to over 300,000 home fires a year nationwide which claim the lives of thousands of people and injure countless others. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), three out of every five home fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms or working smoke alarms. All too often, firefighters arrive at a home to find smoke alarms installed, but the units have either been disconnected or have dead batteries. People frequently disconnect their smoke alarms when they are set off by cooking or other normal household activities, and neglect to replace the batteries.

     FASNY strongly supports the legislation. Senator Martins worked closely with FASNY to get the measure passed.

     “Too often, firefighters encounter the horrific results of home fires without working smoke alarms,” said FASNY President Robert McConville. “This bill makes New York State a safer place and will undoubtedly go a long way towards preventing future home fire deaths. On behalf of our State’s more than 92,000 volunteer firefighters, FASNY thanks New York State Senate Senator Jack Martins for co-sponsoring this critical piece of legislation, and commends the entire legislature for prioritizing the safety of all New Yorkers. We look forward to working with the Governor in the coming weeks to see this bill become law.”

     Senator Martins is pictured speaking about the legislation with members of FASNY at a recent event at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum.