LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

ALASKA
The Alaska State Legislature

ARIZONA
Arizona State Legislature

CALIFORNIA
California State Legislature

HAWAII
Hawaii State Legislature

IDAHO
State of Idaho Legislature

MONTANA
Montana Legislature

NEVADA
Nevada Legislature

OREGON
www.billstatus.com/armstrong (Login is ofca, password is chiefs)
2009 Legislative Update - from The Oregon State Fire Marshal

UTAH
Utah State Legislature

WASHINGTON
Legislative Day - March 9, 2009 - Top 4 Pieces of Legislation
Washington Fire Chiefs Legislative Committee - Bulletin

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On December 7, 2006 Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to its third fire death in two years related to cigarettes. The fire claimed the life of a 77 year-old woman.  In processing the scene, fire investigators found the metal remains of a recliner chair, cigarette butts, and matches and lighters where the fire is believed to have originated in the living room.  On the heels of this tragic fire, Fire Chief Jeff Johnson, President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, speaks out about reducing these tragic incidents through upcoming fire-safe cigarette legislation.  Please click on link below to view the video.

FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTE VIDEO

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FIRE-SAFE CIGARETTES
Cigarettes have long been the leading cause of fire death in the United States, and research has shown that cigarettes with a reduced ignition propensity can be manufactured to help combat this problem. Laws have already been passed in the States of New York, Vermont, and California as well as the nation of Canada requiring cigarettes sold in those jurisdictions to meet specific fire-safe standards.

Consistent with the WFCA’s strategic objective to “promote the proliferation of fire-safe cigarettes”, and specifically to promote adoption of model legislation by each of the Western Division states, the attached materials are intended to assist the WFCA membership, its allied state associations, and local fire agencies working toward that goal.

All fire-safe cigarette laws passed to date have been fundamentally identical; containing the same standard and test protocols. The tobacco industry has fought previous state bills by arguing that they would create a “patchwork” of different regulations in different states. If all of the state bills are the same, this industry argument is baseless and not credible. The national coalition promoting this movement is asking that all state efforts mirror exactly the Model Bill (based on the New York model), which is provided within the attached document.

Fire-Safe Cigarettes Legislation

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 Information Packets

AUTOMATIC EXTERNAL DEFIBBRILATORS

Consistent with the Western Fire Chiefs Association’s adoption of a strategic goal to “Promote the Proliferation of Community-Based Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Programs,” the following materials are intended to assist the WFCA membership and its partner state associations and local fire agencies working to fulfill that goal.

While this document is an attempt to identify some of the key rationale for Community based AED programs, it is not intended as a comprehensive resource for those seeking either clinical or cost data, nor does it include an “implementation” plan at the local level.

Such information is readily available through a number of resources identified in the attached “resource guide.”

Community-Based Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Programs