Letter to the Editor: Edison Fire Ignites Need for Fire Sprinkler Legislation

To the Editor,

On Tuesday, December 30, 2014, eleven families were uprooted from their homes by a fire that destroyed several apartment units on Plainfield Avenue in Edison, NJ. Fire official, Tim Morley, reported that the fire appears to have started in the front of the building in a first floor unit. While the firefighters had the blaze under control within an hour and, fortunately, no one sustained any injuries, four units suffered extensive damage. The families who live in these units are forced to seek out long-term housing while their homes are restored, which according to Morley could take up to six months.

According to a report issued by the National Fire Protection Association in 2013 there was an estimated $11.5 billion in direct property loss from fire throughout the United States. Many opponents of fire sprinkler systems believe the cost of installation outweighs the benefits, but I would argue that the $11.5 billion in loss and the damage suffered by families such as those in Edison prove otherwise.

A fire sprinkler system helps to save lives and protect property by controlling and typically extinguishing a fire before firefighters even arrive on the scene. A bill currently in the New Jersey Senate would call for all newly constructed one- and two-family homes as well as condominiums and town homes to be equipped with fire sprinklers. I urge you to support The New Home Fire Safety Act, so that New Jersey residents are afforded the safety they deserve.

Sincerely,

David Kurasz

Executive Director of the New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board