BILL NUMBER: ACR 150	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  83
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  AUGUST 21, 2012
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  AUGUST 9, 2012
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 13, 2012
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 6, 2012
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 25, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Block
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano,
Beall, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer,
Fong, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon,
Gorell, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill,
Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Lara, Logue, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Morrell, Nestande,
Nielsen, Olsen, Pan, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Skinner, Smyth,
Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, and
Yamada)
   (Coauthors: Senators Cannella, Corbett, Gaines, Lieu, Rubio, and
Kehoe)

                        MAY 1, 2012

   Relative to Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness Week.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 150, Block. Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness Week.
   This measure would declare the week of June 4, 2012, to June 10,
2012, inclusive, as Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness Week.



   WHEREAS, California is home to a myriad of disaster threats, such
as fires, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, and terrorism; and
   WHEREAS, Nearly every county in California faces the challenge of
development encroaching on rural and wildland areas; and
   WHEREAS, Some areas of the state must cope with multiple risks,
including a network of fault lines that can produce earthquakes and
tsunamis, heavy rains and coastal storms that create floods and
mudslides, and volcanic activity from Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta;
and
   WHEREAS, An unprecedented increase in the number of wildfires
since 2003 have claimed numerous lives, millions of square acres of
property, and hundreds of homes; and
   WHEREAS, Wildfires across the state have also destroyed precious
infrastructure and threaten our environment; and
   WHEREAS, Californians face innumerable fire and emergency threats
within their own homes; and
   WHEREAS, The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that most
Americans underestimate the risk of fire in their homes, and that
many either lack emergency response plans or fail to practice them;
and
   WHEREAS, Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are key to
reducing fire deaths and injuries, and diminish the chances of dying
in a fire by one-half; and
   WHEREAS, The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports
that between 2005 and 2009, almost two-thirds of all home fire deaths
in the United States resulted from fires in homes without smoke
alarms or working smoke alarms; and
   WHEREAS, Smoke alarm failure is usually caused by missing,
disconnected, or dead batteries; and
   WHEREAS, Carbon monoxide (CO), often called the silent killer, is
an invisible, odorless, and colorless gas created by burning fuels
like gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil, and methane;
and
   WHEREAS, Cooking or heating equipment that burns these fuels are
potential sources of CO in the home, while the vehicles or generators
that run in attached garages can also produce dangerous levels of
CO; and
   WHEREAS, The NFPA reports that in 2005, fire departments in the
United States responded to an average of seven calls per hour
involving nonfire incidents where CO was detected; and
   WHEREAS, The United States Fire Administration reports that
residential clothes dryers annually account for more than 15,000
structure fires, 15 deaths, 400 injuries, and $100 million in
property damage, and many fire officials believe that these
statistics are drastically understated due to data reporting
deficiencies; and
   WHEREAS, There is little doubt that fire is as powerful as any
other force in the natural world and, as such, deserves our utmost
attention and commitment to educating the public on the critical
importance of fire and disaster preparedness, whether these
emergencies are natural or manmade, or occur inside or outside the
home; and
   WHEREAS, The California Fire Foundation was formed in 1987 as a
way to recognize the courage of firefighters and the perseverance and
sacrifice of fire victims; and
   WHEREAS, Today, the Foundation's mandate includes an array of
public education and victim assistance projects, including educating
the public on fire safety, disaster preparedness, and the toxic
effects of fires; and
   WHEREAS, The public education programs organized and produced by
the Foundation have yielded life-saving results; now, therefore, be
it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the week of
June 4, 2012, to June 10, 2012, inclusive, as California Fire Safety
Awareness and Disaster Preparedness Week, and encourages all
California firefighters and the citizens they are sworn to protect to
participate in local educational activities within their respective
communities throughout that week to help our state better prepare for
an emergency; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.