[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 24, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S6894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 259--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2013 AS ``CAMPUS FIRE 
                             SAFETY MONTH''

  Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Carper) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 259

       Whereas recent campus-related fires at colleges in 
     Massachusetts, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Kansas, 
     and other States have tragically cut short the lives of 
     several young people;
       Whereas, since January 2000, at least 162 people, including 
     students, parents, and children, have died in campus-related 
     fires;
       Whereas approximately 86 percent of those deaths occurred 
     in off-campus residences;
       Whereas a majority of college students in the United States 
     live in an off-campus residence;
       Whereas many fatal fires have occurred in a building in 
     which the occupants had compromised or disabled the fire 
     safety system;
       Whereas automatic fire alarm systems provide the early 
     warning of a fire that is necessary for occupants of a 
     building and the fire department to take appropriate action;
       Whereas automatic fire sprinkler systems are a highly 
     effective method of controlling or extinguishing a fire in 
     the early stages, thus protecting the lives of building 
     occupants;
       Whereas many college students live in an off-campus 
     residence, fraternity or sorority housing, or a residence 
     hall that is not adequately protected by an automatic fire 
     sprinkler system and an automatic fire alarm system;
       Whereas fire safety education is an effective method of 
     reducing the occurrence of fires and the resulting loss of 
     life and property damage;
       Whereas college students do not routinely receive effective 
     fire safety education while in college;
       Whereas educating young people in the United States about 
     the importance of fire safety is vital to help ensure that 
     young people engage in fire-safe behavior during college and 
     after college; and
       Whereas developing a generation of adults who practice fire 
     safety may significantly reduce future loss of life from 
     fires: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2013 as ``Campus Fire Safety 
     Month''; and
       (2) encourages administrators of institutions of higher 
     education and municipalities across the United States--
       (A) to provide educational programs about fire safety to 
     all college students in September and throughout the school 
     year;
       (B) to evaluate the level of fire safety being provided in 
     both on-campus and off-campus student housing; and
       (C) to ensure fire-safe living environments through fire 
     safety education, the installation of fire suppression and 
     detection systems, and the development and enforcement of 
     applicable codes relating to fire safety.

                          ____________________