The Jessica Klipa
The Bradenton Herald, Fla.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill crafted to save firefighters' lives when responding to a burning building was passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature during its recent session.
Now local fire officials are just waiting for it to be signed into law by Gov. Charlie Christ. Once the bill becomes law, it would be effective July 1.
Named in honor of two firefighters who died in 1989 after a gift shop in Orange County crumbled, the bill is called the Aldridge-Benge Firefighter Safety Act.
The bill, which will require certain commercial, industrial and multi-unit residential structures that have lightweight roof or floor trusses to be clearly marked. Not covered by the law are single-family homes or duplexes, said Leigh Hollins, Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue battalion chief.
It will be up to the state fire marshal's office to determine what the placard will look like, where it will go, and how long buildings will have to be in compliance with the new law, he said. The signage on the buildings will allow firefighters to change their tactics for fighting fires in buildings with the lightweight truss system, he said.
Hollins, who lobboed lawmakers to pay attention to the proposal, said, "It does show that sometimes you can get things done starting out with a grassroots effort."
According to a 2005 report issued by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, at least 20 fatalities and 12 injuries occurred during fire operations in buildings with truss systems in 15 separate incidents from 1998-2003.
While more than 60 percent of roof systems in the United States are built using a wooden truss system, relatively few states have passed the bill to protect firefighters.
Southern Manatee Fire Chief Tom Hennessy said firefighters in Florida are very lucky to have had this passed.
"It's a great milestone for the fire service here in Florida. We're real happy that the legislators moved in a positive manner toward this," he said.
Copyright 2008 The Bradenton Herald
