WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) is sponsoring three pieces of legislation to enact fire suppression measures on college campuses and increase support and resources for firefighters.
The legislative acts introduced by Tubbs Jones are the College Fire and Prevention Act, the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act, and the Campus Fire Safety Month Resolution.
“Fire safety and prevention is an issue that needs to be addressed on college campuses across the United States,” says Tubbs Jones. “Over the past few years we have seen many tragedies involving fire at colleges, places of business, entertainment venues and places of residence. These three pieces of legislation will help to put those measures in place and ultimately save lives.”
The congresswoman’s office reports that nationwide 99 people have been killed in student housing fires since January 2000, while Ohio has had the most deaths of any state. The statistics were compiled by the nonprofit Center for Campus Fire Safety, according to Tubbs Jones’ office.
Almost 80 percent of the fire fatalities have occurred in off-campus occupancies such as rented houses and apartments, according to the organization. Common factors in a number of the reported fires include a lack of automatic sprinklers, disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of smoking materials and alcohol consumption.
