15 U.S.C. § 278f — Fire Research Center

(a) Establishment; programs of research; functions of Secretary; dissemination of information: The Department of Commerce now has a Fire Research Center. Its job is to research all parts of fire, so scientists can learn how to prevent and control fires. The Center plans its research together with the head of the United States Fire Administration. The Secretary can run this fire research program directly, or pay for it through contracts or grants. The program includes: (1) Basic and applied research into the science behind fire, including: how combustion works chemically and physically; how flames start, spread, and go out; what's in the smoke and other byproducts fire creates; the early stages of fires in buildings and other structures (and, for fires like forest fires, brush fires, underground fires, oil-well fires, and fires on water, their later stages too), aimed at detecting fires sooner; how fires behave in different buildings and structures — including mobile homes and high-rises — and in their contents, like building materials, floor and wall coverings, and furniture, as well as in forest fires, brush fires, underground fires, oil-well fires, and fires on water; the special fire dangers from transporting and using flammable gases, liquids, and materials in industry; ways to design buildings that are safer from fire while still being comfortable to live and work in; any other part of the fire process useful to the program's goals; and methods and equipment for preventing, detecting, and investigating arson. (2) Research into how fire affects people biologically, physically, and mentally — both fire victims and firefighters. This covers the harmful health effects of toxic substances in fires; injuries like burns and heart problems from being near fire; simple, reliable ways to determine that someone died from a fire; better first-aid methods for fire victims; what makes some people set fires (arson), and how to predict or stop that behavior; the stress firefighters experience, its effects, and how to reduce it; and any other biological, psychological, or physical effects of fire relevant to preventing or controlling fires. (3) Running tests, demonstration projects, and fire investigations to support all of this work. The Secretary must make sure the program's findings get shared widely, and should encourage building codes, fire codes, other relevant codes, test methods, firefighter training, and standards to use these findings where practical. The Secretary can also help create and promote uniform codes, test methods, and standards meant to cut fire losses and firefighting costs. (b) Authorization of appropriations: Congress could spend up to $5,650,000 on this section for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980. That amount includes $525,000 for programs recommended in the Fire Administration's report to Congress, and $119,000 for legally required pay, retirement, and benefit adjustments.