II 

Calendar No. 546 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7077 

[Report No. 117–195] 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 12, 2022 

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

Governmental Affairs 

NOVEMBER 14, 2022 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, without amendment 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Fire Administration Act’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
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•HR 7077 RS

1 SEC. 2. FIRE INVESTIGATIONS. 

2 The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

3 (15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 38. INVESTIGATION AUTHORITIES. 

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

7 the Administrator may send incident investigators, which 

8 may include safety specialists, fire protection engineers, 

9 codes and standards experts, researchers, and fire training 

10 specialists, to the site of the fire to conduct an investiga11 tion as described in subsection (b). 

12 ‘‘(b) INVESTIGATION REQUIRED.—A fire investiga13 tion conducted under this section— 

14 ‘‘(1) shall be conducted in coordination and co15 operation with appropriate Federal, State, and local 

16 authorities, including Federal agencies that are au17 thorized to investigate a major fire or an incident of 

18 which the major fire is a part; and 

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

20 origin of the fire and assess broader systematic mat21 ters to include use of codes and standards, demo22 graphics, structural characteristics, smoke and fire 

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

24 associated injuries and deaths. 

25 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Upon concluding any fire investiga26 tion under this section, the Administrator shall issue a 


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•HR 7077 RS

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

2 the findings of such investigation, or collaborate with an3 other investigating Federal agency on that agency’s re4 port, including recommendations on— 

5 ‘‘(1) any other buildings with similar character6 istics that may bear similar fire risks; 

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

8 ‘‘(3) improving civilian safety practices; 

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

10 community of adding fire safety features; and 

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

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

13 investigations conducted pursuant to subsection (a), the 

14 Administrator may send fire investigators to conduct in15 vestigations at the site of any fire with unusual or remark16 able context that results in losses less severe than those 

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

18 appropriate Federal, State, and local authorities, including 

19 Federal agencies that are authorized to investigate a 

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

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

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

23 such term under regulations to be issued by the Adminis24 trator.’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 546 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7077 

[Report No. 117–195] 

AN ACT 

To require the United States Fire Administration 

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

NOVEMBER 14, 2022 

Reported without amendment 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS