Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis Votes for Firefighter Safety

(Framingham) Earlier this month, Representative Jack Patrick Lewis and his colleagues in the Massachusetts House passed a bill to protect firefighters and tradespeople from conditions that took the lives of Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy in 2014.

“Firefighters put their lives at risk in the service of others each and every day,” expressed Rep. Lewis (Framingham). “In light of the great debt we owe them, it is our job as legislators and a community to minimize their risk as much as possible. That includes eliminating irresponsible construction practices that heighten the possibility of a fire. This bill seeks to do exactly that, and I am grateful to its sponsors and to House Leadership for their support.”

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The legislation creates a system to discourage unauthorized and untrained welding and other ‘hot work,’ which caused the Back Bay fire in 2014. S.1646, An Act relative to violation of regulation regarding hot work processes, helps prevent such fires by keeping tabs on violations of state law. Following recommendations of the Walsh-Kennedy Commission, convened following the tragedy, the bill requires consistent tracking and notification of hot work code violations.

“With this bill, we honor the memory of Lieutenant Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy by doing everything in our power to make sure no firefighter or tradesperson faces those conditions again, and no family has to experience that kind of heartbreak,” noted Senate President Karen E. Spilka (Ashland). “This legislation ensures that dangerous hot work violations are tracked, reported, and acted upon, so we can prevent tragedies before they happen. I applaud the leadership of Senator Collins in getting this bill done, Chair Rodrigues and Chair Cronin for shepherding this legislation, and Speaker Mariano and our colleagues in the House for getting this bill to the Governor’s desk.”

“The data that will be collected as a result of this bill will help to identify and prevent another tragedy like the one that claimed the lives of Boston Fire Department Lieutenant Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy,” noted House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (Quincy). “I would like to thank Chairman Cahill and Chairman Ryan, my colleagues in the House, and our partners in the Senate for working to get this critical legislation to the Governor’s desk for her signature.”

The bill would require the state Department of Fire Services to track code violations related to hot work—welding, plasma cutting, and spark-producing construction—and make the information publicly available through an online database. A new automated notification system would also alert affected property owners and insurance companies in order to help prevent tragedies.