Phil Gingrey: “millions of United States houses today contain smoke alarms. They have been credited with saving thousands of lives.…”

“millions of United States houses today contain smoke alarms. They have been credited with saving thousands of lives. Yet, smoke alarms can only warn the occupants of a fire. They cannot contain or extinguish a fire. Fire sprinkler systems provide the means to limit fire growth and therefore save lives and property. We already mentioned $10 billion a year, I think, in property damage, 3,600 lives lost every year. Studies by the USFA have shown that the installation of residential fire sprinkler systems could save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in property taxes. Bottom line. So together with their Federal partners, USFA has reported a potential 82 percent reduction in fire deaths if fire sprinklers, along with smoke alarms, were installed in all residential dwellings. With the cost of a home sprinkler system in new construction being estimated as low as $1.50 a square foot, or as low as 1 percent of the total cost of the house, and of course, many insurance companies offering discounts up to 15 percent on houses that contain sprinkler systems, it is clear that the benefits in lives and property saved far outweigh the costs. The amendment from the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) supports the efforts of the U.S. Fire Administration to improve the awareness of the effectiveness and availability of residential sprinkler systems. Mr. Chairman, I wholeheartedly support the gentleman's amendment, and urge my colleagues to do the same.”