Hawaii § 132-16 - State fire council; composition; functions.

§ 132-16. State fire council; composition; functions.

(a) There shall be established a state fire council, which shall be placed within the department of law enforcement for administrative purposes. The state fire council shall consist of the state fire marshal, the fire chiefs of the counties, the fire chief of the Hawaii state aircraft rescue fire fighting unit, and a representative of the division of forestry and wildlife of the department of land and natural resources. The state fire council may appoint an advisory committee to assist it in carrying out its functions under this chapter. The advisory committee may include the heads of the various county building departments, a licensed architect recommended by the Hawaii Society of the American Institute of Architects, a licensed electrical engineer and a licensed mechanical engineer recommended by the Consulting Engineers Council of Hawaii, a representative of the Hawaii Rating Bureau, a representative of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, representatives of the county fire departments, a representative of the Hawaii state aircraft rescue fire fighting unit, a representative of the division of forestry and wildlife of the department of land and natural resources, and other members of the public as the state fire council may determine can best assist it. The state fire council shall elect a chairperson from among its members. (b) In addition to adopting a state fire code pursuant to section 132-3, the state fire council shall: (1) Administer the requirements for reduced ignition propensity cigarettes, in accordance with chapter 132C; (2) Serve as a focal point through which all applications to the federal government for federal grant assistance for fire-related projects shall be made. Upon the receipt of any federal grants, the state fire council shall administer those federal grants; (3) Advise the governor and state fire marshal on fire policy issues and serve in an advisory capacity to the state fire marshal on strategies for the implementation of fire and life safety issues; and (4) Coordinate with the state building code council on matters pertaining to fire safety. (c) The state fire council may also: (1) Appoint advisory committees comprising representatives from each county fire department, a representative of the Hawaii state aircraft rescue fire fighting unit, and a representative of the division of forestry and wildlife of the department of land and natural resources to assist in drafting the state fire code and coordinating statewide training, data collection, and contingency planning needs for firefighters; (2) Advise and assist the county and state fire departments where appropriate; may prescribe standard procedures and forms relating to inspections, investigations, and reporting of fires; may approve plans for cooperation among the county and state fire departments; and may advise the governor and the legislature with respect to fire prevention and protection, life safety, and any other functions or activities for which the various county and state fire departments are generally responsible; (3) Establish, in conformance with the adopted state fire code and nationally recognized standards, statewide qualifications and procedures, to be administered by the county fire departments, for testing, certifying, and credentialing individuals who perform maintenance and testing of portable fire extinguishers, water-based fire protection systems, other fire protection systems, private fire hydrants, and fire alarm systems; provided that the county fire departments may establish and charge reasonable certification fees ; (4) Review any conflicts that may arise in the adoption, amendment, or implementation of the state fire codes at the state and county levels or in the adoption, amendment, or implementation of rules proposed or adopted by the office or the counties pursuant to this chapter; and (5) The state fire council may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for purposes of this section. (d) The state fire council may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for purposes of this section. [L 1978, c 241, §2(19); am L 1985, c 103, §1; am L 1987, c 271, §1; gen ch 1992; am L 2000, c 12, §1; am L 2005, c 190, §2; am L 2008, c 218, §2; am L 2014, c 165, §2; am L 2019, c 4, §2; am L 2023, c 142, §2; am L 2024, c 209, §4 ; am L 2025, c 302, §15] Note The L 2008, c 218 amendment to subsection (b) is repealed if a federal reduced cigarette ignition propensity standard that preempts L 2008, c 218 is adopted and becomes effective. L 2008, c 218, §3. Previous Vol03_Ch0121-0200D Next