Fires can destroy buildings, lives, and entire communities in a flash. That’s why it’s essential to do everything in our power to prevent fires from happening in the first place and to help limit the damage if they do occur.  For this life-saving work, fireproofing demands licensing — and legislation to make it the law.

We all understand the importance of making a building resistant to fire, but many don’t understand how complex the fireproofing process can be.

Fireproofing requires specialized knowledge and expertise to apply fire-resistant materials to structural elements like beams and columns that hold our buildings together. When correctly done, fireproofing can help a building withstand the heat of a blaze long enough to allow firefighters to get everyone out of the building and get the fire under control. But when fireproofing is done poorly, the entire structure can quickly collapse which can result in severe injuries and even death.

Poorly done fireproofing also costs. According to the Quincy-based National Fire Protection Association, the United States alone sustained nearly $16 billion in property damage from fires in 2021. With thousands of lives and billions of dollars at risk every year, it’s imperative fireproofing be performed only by trained professionals.

We can ensure skilled workers and protect lives and property here in Massachusetts. A bill in the state legislature — House Bill 397, sponsored by Representative Erika Uyterhoeven — would require fire-resistant material applicators to undergo the proper training and obtain a license from a state board of examiners. The standards put in place by this bill will help keep our families safe and reduce economic losses.

This bill will also provide a certain level of accountability. Any person performing fireproofing who doesn’t receive the required training and licensing would be fined up to $250 per violation. That is a small price compared to the high cost of human and economic losses caused by fires every year.

As the Business Manager of Plasterers Local 534, a union of highly trained professionals across New England, my team and I have been pushing this licensing legislation to make our industry safer. Our union’s foremost mission is to get the job done safely and thoroughly, and we believe that the people of Massachusetts deserve no less. We know that families and communities depend on fireproofing to be done safely and skillfully — the way our union workers do it every time.

At Local 534, we make a serious investment in the training of our members. Over the course of 6,000 hours of training, our apprentices learn every in and out of the job, including how to apply fire-resistant materials so that the buildings we work on remain safe long after we hang up our hard hats. Members of Local 534 are committed to seeing every project through to success before, during, and after our time on the job site.

While we hold ourselves to a high standard of work within our union, that quality is not currently guaranteed across Massachusetts. That needs to change.  Every construction project should include well-trained and licensed fireproofing professionals. That’s what House Bill 397 does.

We urge the state legislature to pass House Bill 397 during this legislative session to prevent devastating damages. Our union has been setting the standard for high-quality fireproofing work for decades. It’s time for the rest of Massachusetts to follow our lead.

John Sweeney is the Business Manager of Boston Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 534.