Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation Updates Federal Tax Code to Modernize Buildings
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ranking Member 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, reintroduced the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act to help place more sprinklers in older high-rise residential buildings where fires are especially dangerous. Companion legislation has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and John Larson (D-Conn.), another co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus.
“Older high-rise apartments pose serious risks for residents and firefighters because they were completed before modern fire codes required sprinklers,” 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. “This bipartisan bill would create a tax incentive for property owners to modernize the sprinkler systems in their high-rise buildings, helping better protect these communities.”
“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.”
“It is critical to ensure all buildings are equipped with the proper fire safety systems,” said Larson. “Too many older high-rises lack sprinkler systems all together, endangering lives of residents and firefighters. I am proud to continue the work of my friend, the late Rep. Bill Pascrell, in this bipartisan effort that will keep residents safe and improve first responders’ ability to respond to building fires by supporting the installation of more modern sprinkler systems.”
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 incentivize 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.
“Fire sprinklers are one of the most effective ways to save the lives of both civilians and firefighters in the event of a fire,” said Bill Webb, Executive Director, Congressional Fire Services Institute. “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. Incentivizing installation of fire sprinkler systems will help to protect property and most importantly, save lives. CFSI looks forward to working with Senators Bennet and Collins, and Representatives Malliotakis and Larson to help this bill become law.”
“Residential high-rise structures are among the most challenging and dangerous environments the fire service operates in,” said Victor Stagnaro, Chief Executive Officer, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. “Automatic fire sprinklers are a proven technology that contains fire, provides residents the necessary time to evacuate, and saves lives. We applaud Senator Bennet, Senator Collins, Representative Malliotakis, and Representative Larson for their continued commitment to the safety of our citizens and the health and well-being of our nation’s firefighters.”
“Sprinklers save lives by helping address unique challenges posed by high-rise buildings such as longer egress times and distance, fire department accessibility and fire control,” Jim Pauley, President and CEO, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). “NFPA strongly supports the bipartisan High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act and urges Congress to act quickly.”
“Statistics consistently show that fire sprinkles save lives,” said Steve Hirsch, Chair, National Volunteer Fire Council. “I applaud Senators Bennet and Collins and Reps. Malliotakis and Larson for reintroducing this important legislation, which would incentive the installation of sprinklers in high-rise buildings.”
“Almost every high-rise fire in this country has a firefighter injury and many more are having civilian and firefighter fatalities,” said Shane Ray, President, National Fire Sprinkler Association. “There should not be a high-rise building in America in 2025 that is not properly protected. Thank you to Congressman Larson, Congresswoman Malliotakis, Senator Bennet, and Senator Collins for protecting the occupants and firefighters.”
“I thank Senators Bennet and Collins for introducing the High Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act,” said Chief Josh Waldo, President and Board Chair, International Association of Fire Chiefs. “Passage of this legislation would be a historic accomplishment by incentivizing the installation of fire sprinklers in high-rise buildings. As we have seen in the Grenfell Tower fire in the UK and in fires here in America, we must have the best fire protection systems possible in high-rises to save human life.”
The text of the bill is available HERE.