Firefighters' Safety Study Act
PL 101-446 (H.R.4522), enacted 10/22/1990

PUBLIC LAW 101-446—OCT. 22, 1990 
104 STAT. 1045 
Public Law 101-446 
101st Congress 
An Act 
To improve the information available to emergency response personnel in the field, 
£md for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "Firefighters' Safety Study Act". 
SEC. 2. REVIEW. 
The Administrator of the United States Fire Administration 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the "Administrator") shsill 
conduct a review of existing response information used by emer-
gency response personnel at the State and local levels to evaluate its 
accuracy and consistency, and to determine whether it is properly 
expressed. Such information should clearly communicate to emer-
gency response personnel the probable hazards which they must 
contend with in an emergency situation involving hazardous mate-
rials, and the appropriate response to those hazard^. 
SEC. 3. WORKING GROUP. 
For the purpose of carrying out section 2, the Administrator shall 
establish a working group which shall, at a minimum, consist of— 
(1) program officials from each of— 
(A) the Environmental Protection Agency; 
(B) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion; 
(C) the Department of Transportation; 
(D) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; 
and 
(E) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, 
who develop and disseminate hazardous materials identification 
and response data, and who collect, collate, analyze, and 
disseminate hazardous materials incident data; 
(2) State and local operational officials with emergency 
response or relevant regulatory responsibilities; and 
(3) representatives of companies engaged in the manufacture 
and processing of chemicals. 
SEC. 4. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
The working group established under section 3 shall, within 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, submit a report to the 
Administrator and to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate presenting 
the results of the review carried out under this Act, along with 
recommendations to ensure that response information disseminated 
to emergency response personnel is appropriate for operational 
personnel at the local level. 
Oct. 22, 1990 
[H.R. 4522] 
Firefighters' 
Safety Study 
Act. 
Inter-
governmental 
relations. 
15 u s e 2223a 
note. 
15 u s e 2223a. 
15 u s e 2223b. 
15 u s e 2223c. 
39-194 O - 91 - 3 : QL 3 Part 2 
104 STAT. 1046 
PUBLIC LAW 101-446—OCT. 22, 1990 
15 u s e 2223d. 
SEC. 5. ANNUAL REVISION OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 
After the submission of the report cited in section 4, the working 
group established under section 3 shall meet as needed, but at least 
once every 12 months, to review and recommend changes and 
additions to the report cited in section 4, that are necessary and 
appropriate for operational personnel at the local level. 
15 u s e 2223e. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITION. 
As used in this Act, the term "emergency response personnel" 
me£ms personnel responsible for mitigation activities in a medical 
emergency, fire emergency, hazardous material emergency, or natu-
ral disaster. 
Approved October 22, 1990. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4522: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 101-473 (eomm. on Science, Space, and Technology). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 101-452 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 136 (1990): 
May 8, considered and passed House. 
Oct. 5, considered and passed Senate.