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SD 3860

An Act relative to fire safety in college communities

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Bill Driscoll

The bill creates a Host Community Fire Safety Fund and requires on-campus housing host communities to meet NFPA 1710 staffing standards, funded by a new student fee.

Referred to the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
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Bill Summary · SD 3860

Summary of Bill SD 3860 (Massachusetts, 194th General Court)

Title: An Act relative to fire safety in college communities

Sponsor: William J. Driscoll, Jr. (Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol)

Status: Filed April 22, 2026; referred to Rules (April 23, 2026)

Purpose (overall intent)
- Establish a framework to improve fire safety and emergency response in host communities that contain on-campus housing for public colleges and universities.
- Create a dedicated funding mechanism to support fire departments in those host communities so they can meet nationally recognized fire service standards for residential college populations.

Key Provisions

1) New statutory framework (Section 21 of Chapter 73)
- Definitions:
- Host community: A city or town with a public college/university campus that owns/operates on-campus housing.
- Residential public institution of higher education: A public college/university in Massachusetts that provides on-campus housing (e.g., UMass system, state universities).
- Industry standards: Staffing and response requirements per NFPA Standard 1710 (or successor).
- Eligible fire staffing costs: Salaries, overtime, training, and benefits needed to meet industry standards.

  • Annual certification of staffing needs:

    • Each host community must annually certify its fire staffing needs to the Secretary of Public Safety and Security.
    • Certification factors include student residential population, campus housing call volume, residential density, and other risk factors.

  • Objective for fire departments:

    • The Commonwealth aims to ensure host-community fire departments have personnel to meet industry standards for alarm response to residential public colleges/universities.
    • Standards include four firefighters on all engine companies and NFPA 1710-consistent response times.
    • Municipalities hosting public colleges that do not provide on-campus housing are exempt from these staffing requirements.

2) Host Community Fire Safety Fund
- Creation of a dedicated fund within the Commonwealth to support and reimburse host communities for eligible fire staffing costs.
- Fund administration and use are restricted to fire safety staffing in host communities.

3) Funding sources for the Host Community Fire Safety Fund
- One-time enrollment/entry fee charged to students entering residential public institutions.
- Additional student-related fees charged by residential public institutions for fire safety and response purposes.
- General appropriation by the General Court designated to the fund.
- Gifts, grants, and donations from public or private sources.
- Available federal grants and other funding opportunities.
- Interest earned by the fund.

4) Student fees
- A one-time fee charged to each student entering a residential public institution of higher education (full- or part-time).
- Waiver possible for students who have already completed at least one semester at another residential public institution.

5) Administration and implementation
- The Secretary of Public Safety and Security will:
- Promulgate rules/regulations for expenditure of the fund.
- Set the fee rate (clause e) and reimbursement mechanisms to host communities.
- Distribute funds to host communities no later than September 1 each year.
- File annual reports on implementation and administration of the section with legislative clerks and committee chairs.

Effective Date
- Section 1 becomes effective July 1 of the year following enactment.
- Section 2 appears to indicate the overall act’s effective date aligns with that provision (implied July 1 after enactment).

Potential Impact

  • For host communities:

    • Increased oversight and regular certification of fire staffing needs based on campus population and risk factors.
    • Access to a dedicated funding stream to bolster on-campus housing fire protection, potentially improving alarm response times and department staffing levels.

  • For public colleges/universities:

    • On-campus housing operations may include new or increased student fees earmarked for fire safety and response.
    • A potential impact on housing-related budgeting due to fund-raising or fee assessments.

  • For students:

    • A one-time entering student fee (with possible waivers) to fund college fire safety infrastructure and emergency response capabilities.

  • For fire departments:

    • Potential for augmented staffing and resources to meet NFPA 1710 standards, with a predictable funding source issued annually by September 1.

Notes
- Exemption: Institutions without on-campus housing are not subject to the staffing requirements.
- The bill is currently in committee (Rules, concurrent).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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