II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3845 

To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct on-site 

investigations of major fires, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2022 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Mr. SCHUMER) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the United States Fire Administration to conduct 

on-site investigations of major fires, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Empowering the U.S. 

5 Fire Administration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FIRE INVESTIGATIONS. 

7 The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

8 (15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 


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•S 3845 IS

1 ‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any major fire, 

3 the Administrator may send incident investigators, which 

4 may include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, 

5 codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training 

6 specialists, to the site of the fire to conduct an investiga7 tion as described in subsection (b). 

8 ‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire investiga9 tion conducted under this section— 

10 ‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination with ap11 propriate Federal, State, and local authorities, in12 cluding Federal agencies that are authorized to in13 vestigate a major fire or an incident of which the 

14 major fire is a part; and 

15 ‘‘(2) shall examine the determined cause and 

16 origin of the fire and assess broader systematic mat17 ters to include use of codes and standards, demo18 graphics, structural characteristics, smoke and fire 

19 dynamics (movement) during the event, and costs of 

20 associated injuries and deaths. 

21 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Upon concluding any fire investiga22 tion under this section, the Administrator shall issue a 

23 public report to local, State, and Federal authorities on 

24 the findings of such investigation, or collaborate with an25 other investigating Federal agency on that agency’s re26 port, including recommendations on— 


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•S 3845 IS

1 ‘‘(1) any other buildings with similar character2 istics that may bear similar fire risks; 

3 ‘‘(2) improving tactical response to similar fires; 

4 ‘‘(3) improving civilian safety practices; 

5 ‘‘(4) assessing the costs and benefits to the 

6 community of adding fire safety features; and 

7 ‘‘(5) how to mitigate the causes of such fire. 

8 ‘‘(d) DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.—In addition to 

9 investigations conducted pursuant to subsection (a), the 

10 Administrator may send fire investigators to conduct in11 vestigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remark12 able context that results in losses less severe than those 

13 occurring as a result of a major fire, in coordination with 

14 appropriate Federal, State, and local authorities, including 

15 Federal agencies that are authorized to investigate a 

16 major fire or an incident of which the major fire is a part. 

17 ‘‘(e) MAJOR FIRE DEFINED.—For purposes of this 

18 section, the term ‘major fire’ shall have the meaning given 

19 such term under regulations to be issued by the Adminis20 trator.’’. 

Æ 


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