On Nov. 13, 2023, Chicago firefighter Drew Price, 39, lost his life by falling four stories through a light shaft while performing vertical ventilation on the roof of a burning building at 2430-32 N. Lincoln Avenue.
The Drew Price Act (SB 1742), introduced by state Sen. Mike Porfirio (D-11th) requires safety features like parapets or guards around light shafts, skylights and open courts to be installed on low-sloped roofs to help firefighters avoid hazardous openings while engulfed in thick smoke.
The bill also requires finalized safety surveys of commercial building roofs in local municipalities’ districts to be shared with local police and fire departments.
“We think this is a really important law that will protect our firefighters, our first responders when they respond to calls in crises,” Porfirio said. “I think this law is going to save lives. By making sure we have an inventory of these buildings that have roof openings, firefighters are going to be better prepared.”
The bill that passed the Illinois Senate on April 9, was moved to state Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd), who is the House sponsor, Porfirio said.
Guerrero-Cuellar’s district includes all or part of Chicago neighborhoods Archer Heights, Ashburn, Chicago Lawn, Brighton Park, Clearing, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Garfield Ridge, West Elsdon and West Lawn.
She believes the bill will pass the Illinois House.
“Right now, looking at the legislation and how it quickly moved through the Senate, I don’t foresee any opposition to the bill,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “I expect that the bill is going to be presented in committee without any hesitation and be immediately directed to the floor.”
She anticipates the bill, currently in the Rules Committee, will be assigned to the Police and Fire Committee where Rep. Michael Kelly (D-15th), a current Chicago firefighter and Local 2 member, is Vice-Chair.
Once the bill arrives on the House floor, her work ethic involves checking in with Dems and Republicans to address questions or concerns that weren’t previously addressed in committee.
The bill will become state law if passed, Guerrero-Cuellar said.
The required surveys of commercial building roofs that map hazards to be shared with police and fire departments, including inspection departments, should not be an impediment to passage, she added.
“What we hear a lot from representatives of rural counties is that there is a shortage of both police and fire department personnel,” Guerrero-Cueller said. “What this bill is doing is adding the mechanism to ensure the safety of both police and fire individuals.”
Guerrero-Cuellar sees the act as an investment for many municipalities and counties that will keep personnel active in those departments, she said.
The bill enhances existing procedures and ensures that as construction materials develop and some are determined to be better and safer than others, that someone is addressing a specific need or standard, Guerrero-Cuellar added.
“This is an extremely important bill,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “I come from a first-responder family. I don’t want any other family to have that experience when all we have to do at the beginning is ensure [police and firefighters’] safety from starting point A.”
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) oversaw the Oct. 9, 2024, passage of the Price Ordinance that took effect Jan. 1, 2025, covering Chicago. It requires the same safeguards but includes “new construction, new roofs or roof replacement, or renovation projects that increase the area of a home or business by more than 50%,” as previously reported by the Southwest News Herald.
Despite its home rule status, Guerrero-Cuellar believes state law would take precedence.
Porfirio and Quinn noted the importance of the courageous testimony by Lara Price, Drew Price’s widow before the Chicago City Council and her powerful testimony and fierce advocacy before the Illinois Senate Committee, as key to the passage of both laws.
Chicago Fire Fighters’ Union, Local 2, Chicago and the also testified before the Senate committee the Fire Chief’s Association supporting the bill in Springfield, said Porfirio.
Vertical ventilation is a process that allows superheated gases and smoke to escape a building to improve working conditions and visibility for firefighters working in the structure below the roof.
Firefighter Price was killed while performing the process for the prevention and safety of fellow firefighters working below.
“Hearing directly from [Lara Price and Chicago firefighter representatives] showed not only the need and the priority of this Act and helped make it a reality,” Porfirio said. “This is a top priority that is important because it’s going to prevent future tragedies and save lives and show our firefighters that we appreciate them, support them and respect what they do.”
Chicago Fire Department representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
