Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 6004 (2020S6)

Sponsor

Rep. Moss, C.

Final action

Governor Signed 8/31/2020

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• requires Group E occupancies to provide monthly age-appropriate fire evacuation instruction in lieu of emergency evacuation drills for a portion of the 2020-2021 school year and a monthly emergency evacuation drill for the remainder of the school year; and
• makes technical changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

SCHOOL EMERGENCY DRILLS AMENDMENTS
SIXTH SPECIAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Carol Spackman Moss
Senate Sponsor: 
Kathleen Riebe
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill makes changes to the State Fire Code related to emergency evacuation drill
requirements for certain educational facilities during the 2020-2021 school year.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ requires Group E occupancies to provide monthly age-appropriate fire evacuation
instruction in lieu of emergency evacuation drills for a portion of the 2020-2021
school year and a monthly emergency evacuation drill for the remainder of the
school year; and
▸ makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
15A-5-202.5
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2019, Chapters 103 and 441
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
15A-5-202.5
 is amended to read:
15A-5-202.5.
Amendments and additions to Chapters 3 and 4 of IFC.
(1) For IFC, Chapter 3, General Requirements:
(a) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 304.1.2, Vegetation, is amended as follows: Delete line six
and replace it with: " Utah Administrative Code, R652-122-1300, Minimum Standards for
County Wildland Fire Ordinance".
(b) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 310.8, Hazardous environmental conditions, is deleted and
rewritten as follows: "1. When the fire code official determines that existing or historical
hazardous environmental conditions necessitate controlled use of any ignition source, including
fireworks, lighters, matches, sky lanterns, and smoking materials, any of the following may
occur:
1.1. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in a
municipality, the legislative body of the municipality may prohibit the ignition or use of an
ignition source in:
1.1.1. mountainous, brush-covered, forest-covered, or dry grass-covered areas;
1.1.2. within 200 feet of waterways, trails, canyons, washes, ravines, or similar areas;
1.1.3. the wildland urban interface area, which means the line, area, or zone where
structures or other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or land
being used for an agricultural purpose; or
1.1.4. a limited area outside the hazardous areas described in this paragraph 1.1 to
facilitate a readily identifiable closed area, in accordance with paragraph 2.
1.2. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in an
unincorporated area, the state forester may prohibit the ignition or use of an ignition source in
all or part of the areas described in paragraph 1.1 that are within the unincorporated area, after
consulting with the county fire code official who has jurisdiction over that area.
1.3. If the existing or historical hazardous environmental conditions exist in a metro
township created under Title 10, Chapter 2a, Part 4, Incorporation of Metro Townships and
Unincorporated Islands in a County of the First Class on and after May 12, 2015, the metro
township legislative body may prohibit the ignition or use of an ignition source in all or part of
the areas described in paragraph 1.1 that are within the township.
2. If a municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative
body closes an area to the discharge of fireworks under paragraph 1, the legislative body or
state forester shall:
2.1. designate the closed area along readily identifiable features like major roadways,
waterways, or geographic features;
2.2. ensure that the boundary of the designated closed area is as close as is practical to
the defined hazardous area, provided that the closed area may include areas outside of the
hazardous area to facilitate a readily identifiable line; and
2.3. identify the closed area through a written description or map that is readily
available to the public.
3. A municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative body
may close a defined area to the discharge of fireworks due to a historical hazardous
environmental condition under paragraph 1 if the legislative body or state forester:
3.1. makes a finding that the historical hazardous environmental condition has existed
in the defined area before July 1 of at least two of the preceding five years;
3.2. produces a map indicating the boundaries, in accordance with paragraph 2, of the
defined area described; and
3.3. before May 1 of each year the defined area is closed, provides the map described
in paragraph 3.2 to the county in which the defined area is located.
4. A municipal legislative body, the state forester, or a metro township legislative body
may not close an area to the discharge of fireworks due to a historical hazardous environmental
condition unless the legislative body or state forester provides a map, in accordance with
paragraph 3."
(c) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 311.1.1, Abandoned premises, is amended as follows: On
line 10 delete the words "International Property Maintenance Code and the".
(d) IFC, Chapter 3, Section 311.5, Placards, is amended as follows: On line three delete
the word "shall" and replace it with the word "may".
(2) IFC, Chapter 4, Emergency Planning and Preparedness:
(a) IFC, Chapter 4, Section 403.10.2.1, College and university buildings, is deleted and
replaced with the following:
"403.10.2.1 College and university buildings and fraternity and sorority houses.
(a) College and university buildings, including fraternity and sorority houses, shall
prepare an approved fire safety and evacuation plan, in accordance with Section 404.
(b) Group R-2 college and university buildings, including fraternity and sorority
houses, shall comply with Sections 403.10.2.1.1 and 403.10.2.1.2."
(b) IFC, Chapter 4, Section 405.2, Table 405.2, is amended to add the following
footnotes:
(i) "e. Secondary schools in Group E occupancies shall have an emergency evacuation
drill for fire conducted at least every two months, to a total of four emergency evacuation drills
during the nine-month school year. The first emergency evacuation drill for fire shall be
conducted within 10 school days after the beginning of classes. The third emergency
evacuation drill for fire, weather permitting, shall be conducted 10 school days after the
beginning of the next calendar year. The second and fourth emergency evacuation drills may
be substituted by a security or safety drill to include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock
down for violence. If inclement weather causes a secondary school to miss the 10-day deadline
for the third emergency evacuation drill for fire, the secondary school shall perform the third
emergency evacuation drill for fire as soon as practicable after the missed deadline."
(ii) "f. In Group E occupancies, excluding secondary schools, if the AHJ approves, the
monthly required emergency evacuation drill can be substituted by a security or safety drill to
include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence. The routine emergency
evacuation drill must be conducted at least every other drill."
(iii) "g. A-3 occupancies in academic buildings of institutions of higher learning are
required to have one emergency evacuation drill per year, provided the following conditions are
met:
(A) The building has a fire alarm system in accordance with Section 907.2.
(B) The rooms classified as assembly shall have fire safety floor plans as required in
Subsection 404.2.2(4) posted.
(C) The building is not classified a high-rise building.
(D) The building does not contain hazardous materials over the allowable quantities by
code."
(iv) "h. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the 2020-2021 school year,
Group E occupancies are not required to conduct an emergency evacuation drill before March
1, 2021. For the period beginning the first day of the 2020-2021 school year and ending
February 28, 2021, each calendar month, Group E occupancies shall provide in-class
instruction to students in an age-appropriate manner that describes the procedures for
emergency evacuation for fire. Group E occupancies shall complete the first monthly
instruction no later than 15 days after the day on which the 2020-2021 school year begins. In
addition to the monthly instruction, Group E occupancies may provide in-class security or
safety drills to include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence."
(v) "i. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the period beginning March 1,
2021, and ending the last day of the 2020-2021 school year, in Group E occupancies, if the
AHJ approves, the monthly required emergency evacuation drill can be substituted by a
security or safety drill to include shelter in place, earthquake drill, or lock down for violence.
The routine emergency evacuation drill must be conducted at least every other month."
Section 2. 
Effective date.
If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
the date of veto override.