§ 278f. — Fire Research Center.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 15USC278f]
TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND TRADE
CHAPTER 7--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY
Sec. 278f. Fire Research Center
(a) Establishment; programs of research; functions of Secretary;
dissemination of information
There is hereby established within the Department of Commerce a Fire
Research Center which shall have the mission of performing and
supporting research on all aspects of fire with the aim of providing
scientific and technical knowledge applicable to the prevention and
control of fires. The content and priorities of the research program
shall be determined in consultation with the Administrator of the United
States Fire Administration. In implementing this section, the Secretary
is authorized to conduct, directly or through contracts or grants, a
fire research program, including--
(1) basic and applied fire research for the purpose of arriving
at an understanding of the fundamental processes underlying all
aspects of fire. Such research shall include scientific
investigations of--
(A) the physics and chemistry of combustion processes;
(B) the dynamics of flame ignition, flame spread, and flame
extinguishment;
(C) the composition of combustion products developed by
various sources and under various environmental conditions;
(D) the early stages of fires in buildings and other
structures, structural subsystems and structural components in
all other types of fires, including, but not limited to, forest
fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and
waterborne fires, with the aim of improving early detection
capability;
(E) the behavior of fires involving all types of buildings
and other structures and their contents (including mobile homes
and highrise buildings, construction materials, floor and wall
coverings, coatings, furnishings, and other combustible
materials), and all other types of fires, including forest
fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and
waterborne fires;
(F) the unique fire hazards arising from the transportation
and use, in industrial and professional practices, of
combustible gases, fluids, and materials;
(G) design concepts for providing increased fire safety
consistent with habitability, comfort, and human impact in
buildings and other structures;
(H) such other aspects of the fire process as may be deemed
useful in pursuing the objectives of the fire research program;
and
(I) methods, procedures, and equipment for arson prevention,
detection, and investigation;
(2) research into the biological, physiological, and
psychological factors affecting human victims of fire, and the
performance of individual members of fire services, including--
(A) the biological and physiological effects of toxic
substances encountered in fires;
(B) the trauma, cardiac conditions, and other hazards
resulting from exposure to fire;
(C) the development of simple and reliable tests for
determining the cause of death from fires;
(D) improved methods of providing first aid to victims of
fires;
(E) psychological and motivational characteristics of
persons who engage in arson, and the prediction and cure of such
behavior;
(F) the conditions of stress encountered by firefighters,
the effects of such stress, and the alleviation and reduction of
such conditions; and
(G) such other biological, psychological, and physiological
effects of fire as have significance for purposes of control or
prevention of fires; and
(3) operation tests, demonstration projects, and fire
investigations in support of the activities set forth in this
section.
The Secretary shall insure that the results and advances arising
from the work of the research program are disseminated broadly. He shall
encourage the incorporation, to the extent applicable and practicable,
of such results and advances in building codes, fire codes, and other
relevant codes, test methods, fire service operations and training, and
standards. The Secretary is authorized to encourage and assist in the
development and adoption of uniform codes, test methods, and standards
aimed at reducing fire losses and costs of fire protection.
(b) Authorization of appropriations
For purposes of this section, there are authorized to be
appropriated an amount not to exceed $5,650,000 for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1980, which amount includes--
(1) $525,000 for programs which are recommended in the report
submitted to the Congress by the Administrator of the United States
Fire Administration pursuant to section 2220(b)(1) \1\ of this
title; and
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\1\ See References in Text note below.
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(2) $119,000 for adjustments required by law in salaries, pay,
retirement, and employee benefits.
(Mar. 3, 1901, ch. 872, Sec. 16, as added Pub. L. 93-498, Sec. 18, Oct.
29, 1974, 88 Stat. 1545; amended Pub. L. 94-411, Sec. 1(b), Sept. 13,
1976, 90 Stat. 1254; Pub. L. 95-422, Secs. 1(b), 2(b), 3(b), Oct. 5,
1978, 92 Stat. 932, 933; Pub. L. 96-121, Sec. 3, Nov. 16, 1979, 93 Stat.
863.)
References in Text
Section 2220(b)(1) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b)(1), was
repealed by Pub. L. 106-503, title I, Sec. 110(a)(1)(D), Nov. 13, 2000,
114 Stat. 2302.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 16 of act Mar. 3, 1901, as added by act Mar. 1,
1968, Pub. L. 90-259, title I, Sec. 102, 82 Stat. 35, related to fire
research and safety programs, prior to repeal by act Oct. 29, 1974.
Amendments
1979--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96-121 substituted provisions authorizing
to be appropriated an amount not to exceed $5,650,000 for the fiscal
year ending Sept. 30, 1980, for provisions authorizing appropriations
not to exceed $1,275,000 for the transitional fiscal quarter of July 1,
1976, through Sept. 30, 1976, not to exceed $5,500,000 for the fiscal
year ending Sept. 30, 1977, not to exceed $6,000,000 for the fiscal year
ending Sept. 30, 1978, and not to exceed $5,600,000 for the fiscal year
ending Sept. 30, 1979, and added pars. (1) and (2).
1978--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95-422, Secs. 2(b), 3(b), in provisions
preceding par. (1) substituted ``United States Fire Administration'' for
``National Fire Prevention and Control Administration'' and added par.
(1)(I).
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 95-422, Sec. 1(b), inserted provision
authorizing appropriation of not to exceed $5,600,000 for the fiscal
year ending Sept. 30, 1979.
1976--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94-411 substituted provisions authorizing
to be appropriated not to exceed $1,275,000 for the transitional fiscal
quarter of July 1, 1976, through Sept. 30, 1976, not to exceed
$5,500,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1977, and not to exceed
$6,000,000 for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1978, for provisions
authorizing to be appropriated not to exceed $3,500,000 for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1975, and not to exceed $4,000,000 for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1976.
Termination of Advisory Councils
Advisory councils in existence on Jan. 5, 1973, to terminate not
later than the expiration of the 2-year period following Jan. 5, 1973,
unless, in the case of a council established by the President or an
officer of the Federal Government, such council is renewed by
appropriate action prior to the expiration of such 2-year period, or in
the case of a council established by the Congress, its duration is
otherwise provided by law. See sections 3(2) and 14 of Pub. L. 92-463,
Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 770, 776, set out in the Appendix to Title 5,
Government Organization and Employees.
Combination of Fire Research and Building Technology Programs
Pub. L. 102-245, title I, Sec. 104(g), Feb. 14, 1992, 106 Stat. 11,
provided that: ``The fire research and building technology programs of
the Institute may be combined for administrative purposes only, and
separate budget accounts for fire research and building technology shall
be maintained. No later than December 31, 1992, the Secretary, acting
through the Director of the Institute, shall report to Congress on the
results of the combination, on efforts to preserve the integrity of the
fire research and building technology programs, on the long-range basic
and applied research plans of the two programs, on procedures for
receiving advice on fire and earthquake research priorities from
constituencies concerned with public safety, and on the relation between
the combined program at the Institute and the United States Fire
Administration.''
National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
Pub. L. 90-259, Secs. 101, 103, 104, and 201-207, established the
National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, directed the
commission to study and investigate measures to reduce the destructive
effects of fire throughout the country, and provided that the commission
cease to exist thirty days after the submission of its report which was
to be made no later than two years after the commission had been
organized.
Executive Order No. 11654
Ex. Ord. No. 11654, Mar. 13, 1972, 37 F.R. 5361, which established
in the Department of Commerce the Federal Fire Council and provided for
its membership, functions, etc., was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 12379,
Sec. 19, Aug. 17, 1982, 47 F.R. 36100, set out as a note under section
14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act in the Appendix to Title 5,
Government Organization and Employees.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in section 2216 of this title.
