SB 563 — An Act amending the act of April 27, 1927 (P.L.465, No.299), referred to as the Fire and Panic Act, further providing for standards for Class VI buildings.

HOUSE AMENDED PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.

609 THEPRINTER'S GENERALNO. ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL Session of No.

5631588 2021THE INTRODUCEDGENERAL BYASSEMBLY LAUGHLIN,OF FONTANA,PENNSYLVANIA ARGALL,SENATE SCHWANK,BILL CAPPELLETTISession ANDof REGAN, APRIL 16, 2021 REFERREDNo. TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, APRIL 16, 2021 AN ACT Amending the act of April 27, 1927 (P.L.465, No.299), entitled "An act to provide for the safety of persons employed, housed, or assembled in certain buildings and structures by requiring certain construction and ways of egress, equipment, projectionists, except in cities of the first class and second class;

INTRODUCED BY LAUGHLIN, FONTANA, ARGALL, SCHWANK, CAPPELLETTI AND REGAN, APRIL 16, 2021 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, APRIL 12, 2022 AN ACT Amending the act of April 27, 1927 (P.L.465, No.299), entitled "An act to provide for the safety of persons employed, housed, or assembled in certain buildings and structures by requiring certain construction and ways of egress, equipment, and maintenance;

providing for the licensing of projectionists, except in cities of the first class and second class;

providing for the promulgation of rulesproviding and regulations for the enforcement of this act;act by the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Health, boards of school directors and, in certain cases, by the chiefs of fire departments in cities of the third class;

providing for the enforcement of this act by the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Health, boards of school directors and, in certain cases, by the chiefs of fire departments in cities of the third class;

(f.1) (1) The smoke detection [devises] devices required <-- under this section [need not] shall be interconnected [or electronically connected] via hardwire, Bluetooth connectivity or any other means that allow for communication between devices for family [child day-care] child-care homes.

(2)(F.1) Family[(1) [childTHE day-care]SMOKE child-careDETECTION homeDEVISES operatorsREQUIRED shallUNDER maintain,THIS in<-- theirSECTION fireNEED drillNOT logs,BE proofINTERCONNECTED ofOR purchase,ELECTRONICALLY includingCONNECTED theFOR dateFAMILY ofCHILD purchaseDAY-CARE ofHOMES. the smoke detector.

(3)FOR ATHE familyPURPOSES child-careOF homeTHIS shall:ACT, NONINTERCONNECTED SMOKE DETECTION DEVISES SHALL BE DEEMED ACCEPTABLE WHERE:

(i)(I) HaveEACH aDEVISE smokeIS detectorAN onENCLOSED eachNONREPLACABLE floorBATTERY andSMOKE in20210SB0563PN1588 the- basement.2 - DETECTOR UNIT WHICH MEETS APPLICABLE UL STANDARDS AND HAS A MINIMUM TEN-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY COMMENCING WITH THE DATE OF PURCHASE;

AND (II) THE ACTIVATION OF EACH DETECTOR RESULTS IN AN ALARM THAT IS AUDIBLE TO PERSONS IN THE INDOOR CHILD-CARE SPACE WITH ALL INTERVENING DOORS CLOSED.] THE FOLLOWING SHALL APPLY:

(1.1) THE SMOKE ALARMS REQUIRED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE INTERCONNECTED VIA HARDWIRE, BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY OR ANY OTHER MEANS THAT ALLOW FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SMOKE ALARMS FOR FAMILY CHILD-CARE HOMES.

THE FOLLOWING SHALL APPLY:

(I) THE ACTIVATION OF EACH SMOKE ALARM SHALL RESULT IN AN ALARM THAT IS AUDIBLE TO PERSONS IN THE INDOOR CHILD-CARE SPACE WITH ALL INTERVENING DOORS CLOSED.

(II) EACH SMOKE ALARM SHALL, AT THE TIME OF INSTALLATION, BE APPROVED BY A TESTING LABORATORY RECOGNIZED BY THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TO TEST AND CERTIFY SMOKE ALARMS.

(2) Family [child day-care] child-care home operators shall maintain, in their fire drill logs, proof of purchase, including the date of purchase of the smoke [detector] ALARM.

<-- (3) A family child-care home shall:

(i) Have a smoke detector ALARM on each floor and in the <-- basement.

20210SB0563PN0609 - 2 - (iii) Meet the exiting requirements for an R-3 occupancy and licensure under 55 Pa.

<-- (g) As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:

20210SB0563PN1588 - 3 - "Family [child day-care] child-care home" means a home other than the child's own home in which child [day] care is provided at any one time to four (4), five (5) or six (6) children unrelated to the operator.

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