[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13713]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 549--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2012 AS ``CAMPUS FIRE 
                             SAFETY MONTH''

  Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and, agreed to:

                              S. Res. 549

       Whereas, each year, States across the United States 
     formally designate the month of September as ``Campus Fire 
     Safety Month'';
       Whereas, since January 2000, at least 152 people, including 
     students, parents, and children, have died in campus-related 
     fires;
       Whereas 85 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 automatic fire 
     sprinkler systems and automatic fire alarm systems;
       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 2012 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 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.

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