An Act To Clarify Certain Laws Related to Fire Safety
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0886
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: RINES, BARTLEIT
Amends: 25 MRSA §2452

Legislative Document 
No. 886 
H.P.671 
House of Representatives, February 28, 2007 
An Act To Clarify Certain Laws Related to Fire Safety 
Submitted by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative RINES of Wiscasset. 
Cosponsored by Senator BARTLEIT of Cumberland and 
Representati ve: WEAVER of York. 
Printed on recycled paper 
l!/~frJ.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 8 MRS A §162, as repealed and replaced by PL 1967, c. 265, is amended to 
read: 
§ 162. Violations 
'A'hoever, being an An owner, lessee, tenant or licensee of a pavilion, hall or other 
building, in which a dance is held in violation of any restriction imposed by section 161,. 
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on eonvietion thereof shall be punished by a fine of 
not more than $100 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or by both. Said 
lieense may be suspended or revoked by the eourt commits a Class E crime. 
Sec. 2. 25 MRS A §2395, as amended by PL 1979, c. 44, is further amended to 
read: 
§2395. Filing statement of fire occurrence 
The municipal fire chief .,..-ffis or a designee or munieipal fire inspeetor shall H1e--a 
written report \llith submit to the State Fire Marshal eaeh month on forms provided b;' his 
offiee, setting forth all of the faets relating to the eause, origin and eireumstanees of fires 
oeeurring within his jurisdietion, along 'Nith a deseription of the kind, value and 
ownership of the property damage or destruetion, with sueh other information as he may 
require an incident report for each response made, regardless of whether an actual fire 
occurred. ~ 
The report shall at all times be open to pHblic inspection, except in SHea 
instanees as the Attorney General may determine that it wOHld be detrimental to a 
pending eriminal investigation must be submitted in a manner consistent with a national 
fire incident reporting system. 
Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2452, 2nd ~, as amended by PL 2003, c. 535, §3, is further 
amended to read: 
Existing buildings licensed pursuant to Title 22, Subtitle 6 having more than 6 
boarders, with the exception of board and care facilities and children's homes, must 
comply with any rules for residential eHstodial residential board and care faeilities 
occupancies required by the Commissioner of Public Safety, except that such existing 
facilities of not more than 2 stories in height are not required to be fire resistive, protected 
or unprotected noncombustible, protected wood frame or heavy timber construction. Such 
existing facilities must be protected by a complete approved automatic sprinkler system 
and meet all other requirements of residential eustodial residential board and care 
faeilities occupancies as required by the Commissioner of Public Safety. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies that a person who violates laws applicable to dance facilities 
commits a Class E crime. 
The bill requires that incident reports be submitted by 
municipal fire officials to the State Fire Marshal that are consistent with a national fire 
incident reporting system. In addition, the bill changes the term "residential-custodial 
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care facilities" to "residential board and care occupancies" for the purposes of 
clarification and accuracy. 
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