IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7077 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 12, 2022 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs 

AN ACT 

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, 


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HR 7077 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 Fire Administration Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FIRE INVESTIGATIONS. 

5 The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

6 (15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 

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

10 the Administrator may send incident investigators, which 

11 may include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, 

12 codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training 

13 specialists, to the site of the fire to conduct an investiga14 tion as described in subsection (b). 

15 ‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire investiga16 tion conducted under this section— 

17 ‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination and co18 operation with appropriate Federal, State, and local 

19 authorities, including Federal agencies that are au20 thorized to investigate a major fire or an incident of 

21 which the major fire is a part; and 

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

23 origin of the fire and assess broader systematic mat24 ters to include use of codes and standards, demo25 graphics, structural characteristics, smoke and fire 


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HR 7077 RFS

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

2 associated injuries and deaths. 

3 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Upon concluding any fire investiga4 tion under this section, the Administrator shall issue a 

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

6 the findings of such investigation, or collaborate with an7 other investigating Federal agency on that agency’s re8 port, including recommendations on— 

9 ‘‘(1) any other buildings with similar character10 istics that may bear similar fire risks; 

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

12 ‘‘(3) improving civilian safety practices; 

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

14 community of adding fire safety features; and 

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

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

17 investigations conducted pursuant to subsection (a), the 

18 Administrator may send fire investigators to conduct in19 vestigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remark20 able context that results in losses less severe than those 

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

22 appropriate Federal, State, and local authorities, including 

23 Federal agencies that are authorized to investigate a 

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


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HR 7077 RFS

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

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

3 such term under regulations to be issued by the Adminis4 trator.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives May 11, 2022. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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