New York City fire fatalities rise 35% in 2017: Stricter fire sprinkler laws are needed - By Tony Saporito
Mechanical Contractors Association of NY
On December 23, 1998, four people were killed in a luxury apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in what became known as the Macauley Culkin Fire after the actor who owned the apartment unit where the fire began. The final tally of fire fatalities that year was 107.
Following this tragedy, the city of New York passed a law requiring all newly constructed residential buildings with four or more units to be protected by automatic fire sprinklers. The law did not address existing buildings. This law was urgently needed and has undoubtedly saved lives, but it is not enough.
New York City still does not require existing residential buildings to install fire sprinklers, leaving residents in older, multifamily buildings unprotected. In fact, since 1999, there has been no significant legislation in New York City to increase fire sprinkler system protection in these existing occupancies.
According to the FDNY, New York fire fatalities rose 35%, to 73 deaths, in 2017. Of those, 26 occurred in December. This included a December 28th fire that killed 13 people in a building in the Bronx, the deadliest in New York City in 27 years.
The rise in deaths in 2017 followed a record low of 48 fatalities in 2016. That low was the culmination of a decades-long trend that can be largely attributed to fire sprinkler requirements that have been added over the years. Thanks to stronger laws and codes, fire deaths in NYC office buildings and businesses have become nearly non-existent thanks to fire sprinklers being required regardless of building age. In 1989, following nearly 19 years that saw more than 200 fire fatalities a year, New York passed a law that persons installing or modifying fire sprinkler systems are required to be licensed by the city. The 1999 law requiring fire sprinklers in new apartment buildings also strengthened inspection and maintenance requirements. Both of these key pieces of legislation significantly contributed to lower fire deaths.
Unfortunately, however, no matter how quick the response time or effectively FDNY firefighters continue to do their jobs, they will never be able to fully keep up with modern fires in unsprinklered buildings. An older, unrenovated building can be tinder to a flame, today’s fires grow hotter, more toxic and burn 800% faster than they did 40 years ago, due to furnishings that contain petroleum-based materials.
Fire sprinklers can provide residents life-saving seconds to escape a fire and contain the fire damage before firefighters arrive at the scene. The National Fire Protection Association reported that the death rate per 1,000 reported fires from 2010-2014 was 87% lower in properties with fire sprinklers than in properties with no automatic extinguishing systems. In addition, where sprinklers were present, flame damage was confined to the room of origin in 97% of fires.
The question that should be asked is: Why are residents who live in older buildings not given the same protections as those who live in newer buildings? New York has always been a national leader in fire safety. Now, it’s time to prove that once again.
After a year that saw a 35% increase in deaths, we need to show the same urgency we have many times in the past in response to tragedy and require all buildings to have sprinklers, period. Leaving loopholes in the law will do nothing but continue to allow New Yorkers to go unprotected. In addition to the loss of life, these fires displace families and destroy property, leaving hundreds if not thousands of New York residents scrambling to find temporary housing, a near impossibility.
As history demonstrates, increased requirements for fire sprinkler systems installed and maintained by qualified, licensed individuals has dramatically changed and decreased the landscape of fire deaths. What is also clear is that NYC still has a way to go in protecting all residents from deadly and destructive fires. When installed and properly maintained, fire sprinklers are the first line of defense, controlling 99% of all fires.
Sprinklers are a tried, true and century old safety mechanism and it is time for New York to ensure all residents are afforded the same level of protection.
Tony Saporito is the executive vice president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of New York, Inc.,
New York, N.Y.