Looney Leads Passage of Emergency Generator Bill

An act requiring emergency generators for certain elderly housing made it out of the Senate Wednesday.

Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney led the passage of Senate Bill 772, which was inspired by a major brownout and elevator service failure at the Bella Vista in February. Nearly 1,000 elderly residents were trapped inside the high rise senior housing complex with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees.
 
The legislation requires that the owners install and maintain one or more emergency power generators capable of providing a minimum of four to 12 hours of sufficient electrical power to each unit for heating, water, lighting and critical medical equipment, and each passenger elevator.

​“We saw firsthand the emergency situation precipitated by a power failure at Bella Vista,” Looney said in a press release Wednesday. ​“Many elderly residents and residents with medical issues — some of whom are dependent on medical equipment — were unable to physically navigate the stairs and exit the building, requiring police and fire personnel to evacuate the residents. This bill will help prevent that type of situation from happening ever again.” 

​“It is vital that we continue to invest in the safety of our senior citizens,” State Rep. Al Paolillo said in the same release. ​“Senate Bill 772 ensures that senior housing establishments will be able to maintain sufficient power during emergencies. New Haven is home to Bella Vista, where countless senior residents reside. This bill puts the necessary safeguards in place to minimize any potential health or safety risks seniors may face during emergencies such as heat waves or snowstorms.”

Lt. Rachel Cain of the New Haven Police Department, who responded to the incident at Bella Vista, testified in support of the bill before the Aging Committee.

“One of the reasons this has stayed with me for so long is because I saw, firsthand, the effects this needless uprooting had on hundreds of elderly individuals,” Cain said in her testimony. ​“Although we cannot protect them from all unpredictable occurrences, we can predict that this will occur again.”