Arson Prevention Act of 1994
PL 103-254 (H.R.1727), enacted 05/19/1994

PUBLIC LAW 103-254—MAY 19, 1994 
108 STAT. 679 
Public Law 103-254 
103d Congress 
An Act 
To establish a program of grants to states for arson research, prevention, and 
May 19, 1994 
control, and for other purposes. 
[H.R. 1727] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled. 
Arson 
Prevention Act 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
of 1994. 
This Act may be cited as the "Arson Prevention Act of 1994". 
15 use 2201 
note. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
15 USC 2201 
Congress finds that— 
"°**" 
(1) arson is a serious and costly problem, and is responsible 
for approximately 25 percent of all fires in the United States; 
(2) arson is a leading cause of fire deaths, accounting 
for approximately 700 deaths annually in the United States, 
and is the leading cause of property damage due to fire in 
the United States; 
(3) estimates of arson property losses are in the range 
of $2,000,000,000 annually, or approximately 1 of every 4 dol-
lars lost to fire; 
(4) the incidence of arson in the United States is seriously 
underreported, in part because of the lack of adequate participa-
tion by local jurisdictions in the National Fire Incident Report-
ing System (NFIRS) and the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) 
program; 
(5) there is a need for expginded training programs for 
arson investigators; 
(6) there is a need for improved programs designed to 
enable volunteer firefighters to detect arson crimes and to 
preserve evidence vital to the investigation and prosecution 
of arson cases; 
(7) according to the National Fire Protection Association, 
of all the suspicious and incendiary fires estimated to occur, 
only Va are confirmed as arson; and 
(8) improved training of arson investigators will increase 
the ability of fire departments to identify suspicious and incen-
diary fires, and will result in increased and more effective 
prosecution of arson offenses. 
SEC. 
3
. 
ARSON 
PREVENTION 
GRANTS. 
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 is 
amended by inserting after section 24 (15 U.S.C. 2220) the following 
new section: 
"SEC. 25. ARSON PREVENTION GRANTS. 
15 USC 2221. 
"(a) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
108 STAT. 680 
PUBLIC LAW 103-254—MAY 19, 1994 
"(1) ARSON.—^The term 'arson' includes all incendiary and 
suspicious fires. 
"(2) OFFICE.—The term 'Office' means the Office of Fire 
Prevention and Arson Control of the United States Fire 
Administration. 
"(b) GRANTS.—^The Administrator, acting through the Office, 
shall carry out a demonstration program under which not more 
than 10 grant awards shall be made to States, or consortia of 
States, for programs relating to arson research, prevention, and 
control. 
"(c) GOALS.—In carrying out this section, the Administrator 
shall award 2-year grants on a competitive, merit basis to States, 
or consortia of States, for projects that promote one or more of 
the following goals: 
"(1) To improve the training by States leading to profes-
sional certification of arson investigators, in accordance with 
nationally recognized certification standards. 
"(2) To provide resources for the formation of arson task 
forces or interagency organizational arrangements involving 
police and fire departments and other relevant local agencies, 
such as a State arson bureau and the office of a fire marshal 
of a State. 
"(3) To combat fraud as a cause of arson and to advance 
research at the State and local levels on the significance £ind 
prevention of fraud as a motive for setting fires. 
"(4) To provide for the management of arson squads, 
including— 
"(A) training courses for fire departments in arson 
case management, including standardization of investiga-
tive techniques and reporting methodology; 
"(B) the preparation of arson unit management guides; 
and 
"(C) the development and dissemination of new public 
education materials relating to the arson problem. 
"(5) To combat civil unrest as a cause of arson and to 
advance research at the State and local levels on the prevention 
and control of arson linked to urban disorders. 
"(6) To combat juvenile arson, such as juvenile fire-setter 
counseling programs and similar intervention programs, and 
to advance research at the State £ind local levels on the preven-
tion of 
juvenile arson. 
"(7) To combat drug-related arson and to advance research 
at the State and local levels on the causes and prevention 
of drug-related arson. 
"(8) To combat domestic violence as a cause of arson and 
to advance research at the State and local levels on the preven-
tion of arson arising from domestic violence. 
"(9) To combat arson in rural areas and to improve the 
capability of firefighters to identify and prevent arson initiated 
fires in rural areas and public forests. 
"(10) To improve the capability of firefighters to identify 
and combat arson through expanded training programs, 
including— 
"(A) training courses at the State fire academies; and 
"(B) innovative courses developed with the Academy 
and made available to volunteer 
firefighters 
through 
PUBLIC LAW 103-254—MAY 19, 1994 
108 STAT. 681 
regional delivery methods, including teleconferencing and 
satellite delivered television programs. 
"(d) STRUCTURING OF APPLICATIONS.—^The Administrator shall 
assist grant applicants in structuring their applications so as to 
ensure that at least one grant is awarded for each goal described 
in subsection (c). 
"(e) STATE QUALIFICATION CRITERIA.—In order to qualify for 
a grant under this section, a State, or consortium of States, shall 
provide assurances adequate to the Administrator that the State 
or consortium— 
"(1) will obtain at least 25 percent of the cost of programs 
funded by the grant, in cash or in kind, from non-Federal 
sources; 
"(2) will not as a result of receiving the grant decrease 
the prior level of spending of funds of the State or consortium 
from non-Federal sources for arson research, prevention, and 
control programs; 
"(3) will use no more than 10 percent of funds provided 
under the grant for administrative costs of the programs; and 
"(4) is making efforts to ensure that all local jurisdictions 
will provide arson data to the National Fire Incident Reporting 
System or the Uniform Crime Reporting program. 
"(f) EXTENSION.—A grant awarded under this section may be 
extended for one or more additional periods, at the discretion of 
the Administrator, subject to the availability of appropriations. 
"(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—^The Administrator shall provide 
technical assist£mce to States in carrying out programs funded 
by grants under this section. 
"(h) CONSULTATION AND COOPERATION.—In carrying out this 
section, the Administrator shall consult and cooperate with other 
Federal agencies to enhance program effectiveness and avoid 
duplication of effort, including the conduct of regular meetings 
initiated by the Administrator with representatives of other Federal 
agencies concerned with arson and concerned with efforts to develop 
a more comprehensive profile of the magnitude of the national 
arson problem. 
"(i) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 18 months after the date Reports, 
of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall submit 
a report to Congress that— 
"(1) identifies grants made under this section; 
"(2) specifies the identity of grantees; 
"(3) states the goals of each grant; and 
"(4) contains a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness 
of the grant program under this section. 
"(j) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall issue regula-
tions to implement this section, including procedures for grant 
applications. 
"(k) ADMINISTRATION.—^The Administrator shall directly admin-
ister the grant program required by this section, and shall not 
enter into any contract under which the grant program or any 
portion of the program will be administered by another party. 
"(1) PURCHASE OF AMERICAN MADE EQUIPMENT AND PROD-
UCTS.— 
"(1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—^It is the sense of Congress that 
any recipient of a grant under this section should purchase. 
108 STAT. 682 
PUBLIC LAW 103-254—MAY 19, 1994 
when available and cost-effective, American made equipment 
and products when expending grant monies. 
"(2) NOTICE TO RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE.—In allocating 
grsints under this section, the Administrator shall provide to 
each recipient a notice describing the statement made in para-
graph (1) by the Congress.". 
SEC. 4. VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER TRAINING. 
Section 24(a)(2) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2220(a)(2)) is amended by inserting before 
the semicolon the following: ", with particular emphasis on the 
needs of volunteer firefighters for improved and more widely avail-
able arson training courses", 
SEC. 5. CPR TRAINING. 
The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
15 use 2228. 
"SEC. 32. CPR TRAINING. 
"No funds shall be made available to a State or local govern-
ment under section 25 unless such government has a policy to 
actively promote the training of its firefighters in cardiopulmonary 
resuscitation.". 
SEC. 6. FEDERAL EMPLOYEE HOUSING EXCEPTIONS. 
Section 31(c)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2227(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking "No Federal" and 
inserting in lieu thereof "Except as otherwise provided in this 
paragraph, no Federal"; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: 
"(C) Housing covered by this paragraph that does not have 
an adequate and reliable electrical system shall not be subject 
to the requirement under subparagraph (A) for protection by hard-
wired smoke detectors, but shall be protected by battery operated 
smoke detectors. 
"(D) If funding has been programmed or designated for the 
demolition of housing covered by this paragraph, such housing 
shall not be subject to the fire protection requirements of sub-
paragraph (A), but shall be protected by battery operated smoke 
detectors.". 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 17 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
"(h) In addition to any other amounts that are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this Act, there are authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this Act— 
"(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 1995 for basic research on 
the development of an advanced course on arson prevention; 
"(2) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 for the expansion of 
arson investigator training programs at the Academy under 
section 24 and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Cen-
ter, or through regional delivery sites; 
"(3) $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1995 and 1996 
for carrying out section 25, except for salaries and expenses 
for carrying out section 25; and 
PUBLIC LAW 103-254—MAY 19, 1994 
108 STAT. 683 
"(4) $250,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 and 1996 
for salaries and expenses for carrying out section 25.". 
SEC. 8. SUNSET. 
15 USC 2216 
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no funds are "
^
^ 
authorized to be appropriated for any fiscal year after fiscal year 
1996 for carrying out the programs for which funds are authorized 
by this Act, or the amendments made by this Act. 
Approved May 19, 1994. 
LEGISLATIVE fflSTORY—H.R. 1727 (S. 798): 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 103-172 (Ck)mm. on Science, Space, and Technology). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 103-204 accompanying S. 798 (Comm. on Ck>mmerce, Science 
and Transportation). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 139 (1993): July 26, considered and passed House. 
Nov. 22, considered and passed Senate, amended, in lieu of 
S. 798. 
Vol. 140 (1994): Apr. 26, House concurred in Senate amendment with an 
amendment. 
May 6, Senate concurred in House amendment.