Bennet, Collins, Pascrell, Malliotakis Reintroduce Bill to Make High-Rise Apartments Safer for Residents, Firefighters

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight, and Susan Collins (R-Maine), co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), another co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) reintroduced the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act to help place more sprinklers in older high-rise residential buildings where fires are especially dangerous.

"Because they were completed before modern fire codes required sprinklers, some older high-rise apartments pose serious risks for residents and firefighters in case of an emergency," said Bennet. "This common-sense, bipartisan bill can help save lives by encouraging building owners to modernize their properties by installing sprinklers."

"The annual cost of fires is enormous, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Americans and causing billions of dollars in property damage. Fortunately, state-of-the-art sprinkler systems can help avert these tragedies by controlling and extinguishing fires, protecting firefighters, and saving countless lives," said Collins. "Our bipartisan bill would create a tax incentive for property owners to modernize their high-rise buildings and help better protect the community."

"One of the most harrowing calls a firehouse can get is for a blaze in a pre-war high-rise building," said Pascrell. "While new buildings have proper protection, buildings constructed before sprinkler requirements present intensely dangerous challenges for firefighters and represent one of the biggest threats there is to fire departments. By tinkering with the tax code, our commonsense legislation will give property owners a powerful incentive to modernize their buildings. This tax incentive will help save Americans' lives and firefighters' lives so what's not to like?"

"Our brave FDNY firefighters respond to more than 300,000 fires and non-fire related emergencies every year. These calls become all the more dangerous when they're in older buildings that may not be up to current fire codes," said Malliotakis. "I'm proud to join a bipartisan group of House and Senate colleagues in introducing this critical legislation to incentivize property owners to install more sprinklers in high-rise structures to reduce severe property damage and most importantly, protect residents and our firefighters who are on the front lines keeping our community safe."

In the first six weeks of 2024, more than 348 people were killed in fires. Recent research has shown that Americans have the least amount of time today to safely exit their homes in the event of a fire than at any time in history, and fire deaths have steadily increased over the last decade. However, the current tax code does not adequately incent high-rise building owners to install fire sprinklers, since it treats them similarly to plumbing and depreciates the costs over 39 years. The High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act encourages high-rises to modernize their fire prevention systems by decreasing this cost recovery to 15 years.

"Residential high-rise structures are among the most challenging and dangerous environments the fire service operates in. Automatic fire sprinklers are a proven technology that contains the fire, provides residents the necessary time to evacuate, and saves lives. I applaud Congressman Pascrell, Congresswoman Malliotakis, Senator Bennet, and Senator Collins for their continued commitment to the safety of our citizens and the health and well-being of America's firefighters," said Victor Stagnaro, Chief Executive Officer, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

"The National Fire Protection Association strongly supports the High Rise Fire Sprinkler Act and commends all of the bipartisan cosponsors. Sprinklers are a proven and critical part of the safety ecosystem necessary to protect residents and businesses in high rise buildings as well as responding first responders," said Jim Pauley, President and CEO, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

"I thank Representatives Pascrell and Malliotakis and Senators Bennet and Collins for introducing this critical legislation," said Fire Chief John S. Butler, President and Board Chair, International Association of Fire Chiefs. "Fire sprinklers are proven to be effective in preventing damage and saving both civilian and firefighters' lives. We urge Congress to consider and pass this legislation."

"In the event of a fire, fire sprinklers are one of the most effective ways to save the lives of both civilians and firefighters. The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) strongly supports the High Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, which will make it more economical to install fire sprinkler systems in residential high-rise properties," said Bill Webb, Executive Director, Congressional Fire Services Institute. "Incentivizing installation of fire sprinkler systems will help to protect property and most importantly, save lives."

"Almost every high-rise fire in this country has a firefighter injury and many more are having civilian and firefighter fatalities. There should not be a high-rise building in America in 2024 that is not properly protected. Thank you to Congressman Pascrell, Congresswoman Malliotakis, Senator Bennet, and Senator Collins for protecting the occupants and firefighters," said Shane Ray, President, National Fire Sprinkler Association.

The text of the bill is available HERE.