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Committee moves to introduce bill continuing Colorado fire suppression registration and inspection program
Summary
DORA recommended continuing Colorado’s fire suppression registration and inspection program for 11 years; the committee voted to introduce the draft sunset bill after hearing agency and industry testimony about contractor registration, inspector certification and statewide safety benefits.
The House committee heard a DORA sunset review and voted to introduce a draft bill to continue Colorado’s fire suppression registration and inspection program for 11 years.
Sahib Singh of the Colorado Office of Policy Research and Regulatory Reform told the committee the program registers contractors, certifies inspectors, reviews design plans and conducts inspections—particularly in jurisdictions without local authority. Singh said DORA recommends continuing the program through 2037, noting the program’s FY 2023–24 data: roughly $273,000 in program expenses, 1.4 full‑time equivalent staff, 763 registered contractors, 357 inspectors, 211 inspections and 148 plan reviews; the report also recorded 28 complaints and 19 disciplinary actions (mostly warnings).
“Given these reasons, we believe an 11‑year period for continuation is proper,” Singh said, summarizing the statutory balancing test that asks whether regulation is necessary for public health, safety and welfare and whether it is the least restrictive approach.
Chief Chris Brunette of the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, joined by industry representatives, urged continuation. “These systems provide our firefighters the time necessary so that they can fight these fires adequately,” Brunette said, emphasizing the program’s role in supporting jurisdictions that lack local fire‑safety review capacity.
Committee members asked for sharper incident‑level data tying the program’s work to specific fire outcomes. Singh said his office could not attribute structural fire counts directly to program actions but cited 24 home fire fatalities reported in Colorado in 2024 and offered to follow up with more detailed data or defer to division staff.
After witness testimony and questions, Vice Chair Stewart moved to introduce the draft sunset bill “as drafted.” The clerk recorded a roll call with an affirmative majority; Weinberg was excused. The committee authorized Legislative Legal Services to make technical changes and agreed a petition clause could apply. The chair named Representative Stewart and another member as bill sponsors for the draft.
The committee’s action sends the draft into the formal bill introduction process; if the committee later votes to introduce the bill, it will be considered by the committee of reference after introduction.
