H-3290              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2341

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Meyers, Schmidt, Zellinsky, Jones, Rector, Baugher, Hargrove, Basich, Jesernig, Winsley, Schoon and Kirby

Read first time 1/10/90 and referred to Committee on Judiciary.

AN ACT Relating to tampering with fire protection equipment; amending RCW 9.40.100; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 204, Laws of 1967 as amended by section 80, chapter 266, Laws of 1986 and RCW 9.40.100 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person who willfully and without cause tampers with, molests, injures or breaks any public or private fire alarm apparatus, emergency phone, radio, or other wire or signal, or any fire fighting equipment, or who willfully and without having reasonable grounds for believing a fire exists, sends, gives, transmits, or sounds any false alarm of fire, by shouting in a public place or by means of any public or private fire alarm system or signal, or by telephone, is guilty of a misdemeanor.  This provision shall not prohibit the testing of fire alarm systems by persons authorized to do so, by a fire department or the director of community development, through the director of fire protection.

(2) Any person who willfully and without cause tampers with, molests, injures, or breaks any public or private fire alarm apparatus, emergency phone, radio, or other wire or signal, or any fire fighting equipment with the intent to commit arson, is guilty of a felony.