TRENTON – In recognition of October being Fire Prevention Month, the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, led by Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), advanced several bills focused on improving fire prevention and building safety, supporting volunteer fire companies and firefighters, and holding landlords and rental property owners accountable. 

“October is Fire Prevention Month, and our agenda reflected a basic responsibility of government: to prevent avoidable tragedies, protect the people who answer emergency calls, and ensure that every resident has a safe place to live,” said Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington). “Fire safety is not one policy or one piece of equipment. It is a complete system. It begins with how a building is designed and constructed. It includes the materials behind the walls, the barriers that contain a fire, the systems that warn residents, and the escape routes available when an ordinary exit is blocked. It depends on firefighters having accurate information about the structures they enter. And it requires trained responders, sustainable fire companies, modern equipment, and reliable funding. The proposals approved today address that entire continuum.” 

The measures advanced by the committee include:

FIRE PREVENTION AND BUILDING SAFETY

• S-385, sponsored by Senators Brian Stack and Shirley Turner, establishes fire-safety standards for certain light-frame residential construction and requires placards identifying a building’s primary structural system.
• S-386, sponsored by Senator Stack, requires fire barriers in common attic areas of certain residential buildings.
• S-1795, sponsored by Senators Singleton and Benjie Wimberly, limits installation, inspection, repair, and maintenance of fire escapes to registered design professionals or employees of certified fire-escape contractors.
• S-3042, sponsored by Senator Wimberly, addresses the availability of fire-escape mechanisms in residential dwellings and establishes penalties for violations.

SUPPORTING VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND FIREFIGHTERS

• S-1566, sponsored by Senators Carmen Amato and Robert Singer, creates a Volunteer Fire Company Assistance Program within DCA and appropriates $10 million to support volunteer fire companies.
• S-1755, sponsored by Senator Singleton, allows volunteer firefighters and other emergency responders to be included in municipal employee groups eligible for certain small-employer health benefits.
• S-3526, sponsored by Senator James Beach, authorizes counties to establish a non-lapsing fire academy trust fund.

RENTAL PROPERTY AND LANDLORD RESPONSIBILITY

• S-3703, sponsored by Senator John Burzichelli, addresses when municipal governing bodies may notify an insurance company about activity at a rental property suspected of violating the property’s insurance policy.
• S-2191, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz and Senator Shirley Turner, expands liability for certain individuals associated with LLCs and other commercial entities when acting as residential landlords.

OTHER LEGISLATION ADVANCED BY THE COMMITTEE:

• S-4304 sponsored by Senators Linda Greenstein and Stack, restricts agreements designed to conceal certain information about data-center development.
• S-4437, sponsored by Senator Singleton, allows political subdivisions to require certain economic-development subsidy recipients to enter into community-benefits agreements.

“Not every bill before us was a fire-prevention measure. But each bill addressed the committee's broader responsibility to protect residents, strengthen municipalities, and ensure that those who own property or receive public support remain accountable to the communities affected by their decisions,” continued Singleton.

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