To the editor:
For at least four hours on the evening of Oct. 24, dozens of residents watched helplessly as flames consumed four apartments in the Hillsborough Garden Apartments complex. The fire spread from a corner apartment, through the roof and into three other apartments so quickly that residents were unable to assist those in the apartment where the fire originated. Three lives were lost as a result. We are greatly saddened by this loss, knowing that it was preventable.
For the past eight years, we have diligently spread an urgent message among residents and lawmakers about modern construction materials and homes with furnishings and contents composed of primarily synthetic materials: these homes burn hotter and faster, and they fail sooner than homes that were once built with legacy construction materials. Our heart aches for this family and this community. We must take steps to prevent this terrible tragedy from repeating itself.
Last year, Gov. Christie conditionally vetoed bill A-1698, a bill that would require all new single- and two-family homes in New Jersey to be equipped with sprinkler systems. Gov. Christie then removed the single- and two-family homes from the bill and charged the Department of Community Affairs with determining whether “the marginal benefits” provided by the installation of fire sprinkler system outweighed its cost in townhomes, which he deemed to be at higher risk of spreading fires than other non-attached homes.
Today, two bills that would save lives and protect property await consideration. Bill A-2251 would require builders to provide information about fire suppression systems to new homebuyers, while bill A-3334 would require fire suppression systems in new single- and two-family homes. Both bills would provide the framework for preventing terrible losses such as this one.
We believe that the loss of these three lives to a home fire is simply unacceptable. A fire sprinkler system is not a frivolous investment with minimal impacts, it is a life-saving device that can protect our neighbors, friends and loved ones from ravaging fire and devastating loss.
David Kurasz
Executive Director, NJFSAB
Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Delaware Chapter
NFSA
