National Fire Sprinkler Association Champions For High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act Following Another High-Rise Fire in Detroit with 8 Hospitalized, 3 Critical

Detroit, MI, Jan. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On January 9th, a fire began shortly before 5:00 p.m. in a Detroit 15-story HUD Senior Apartment Complex. The building was not equipped with a fire sprinkler system. According to fire officials, three residents are now in critical condition, including a man with second- and third-degree burns. The other five victims suffered minor smoke inhalation. 

The blaze began in an apartment on the seventh floor. When firefighters arrived, they found several residents waiting for help on balconies. Thanks to the quick work of the fire department, the fire was extinguished in about one hour. 

Last November, an early morning fire in a Minneapolis High-Rise building claimed the lives of five people, with several other reports of injuries, including a firefighter. Minneapolis officials confirmed that the building did not have fire sprinklers on the residential floors. This fatal fire joined a host of fatal high-rise fires, from the Marco Polo fire in Honolulu to the Trump Tower Fire in New York City. According to the National Fire Protection Association, approximately 40 people die and over 500 are injured annually in high-rise fires.  

A year-long investigation by Minnesota fire officials was recently completed. The resulting report confirmed that fire sprinklers would have saved lives. 

“I am thankful for the proactive leadership that has been part of bringing the High-Rise Fire Sprinkler Act to this point,” explained NFSA President Shane Ray. “There is a simple solution – we need to retrofit  all high-rise buildings with fire sprinklers. The fire in Detroit reminds us of the urgency of this need. This is a straightforward idea that will save lives, our work will continue.” 

NFSA would also like to thank our partners at the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Common Voices, and the National Volunteer Fire Council for their support throughout the past year on legislation that includes fire sprinklers as well. Our partners know fire sprinklers reduce the risks to occupants and firefighters. 

About the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA): NFSA was founded in 1905 and wants to create a more fire safe world, and works to heighten the awareness of the importance of fire sprinkler systems from homes to high-rise and all occupancies in between. The Association is an inclusive organization made up of dedicated and committed members of a progressive life-saving industry. This industry manufactures, designs, supplies, installs, inspects, and services the world’s most effective system in saving lives and property from uncontrolled structural fires.  

For more information about fire sprinklers, how they work and access to additional resources and information, visit www.nfsa.org for the latest material, statistics and a dedicated team of fire safety advocates ready to serve all stakeholders in order to fulfill the vision of a safer world.  

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Vickie Pritchett
National Fire Sprinkler Association
615-533-0305
[email protected]