The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2003

The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2003 (HR 1824 and S 1566)

(Sprinkler Tax Credit)

What It Does: Recent fires across the nation – including the nightclub fire in West Warwick, RI and a recent apartment fire in Glendale, CO – clearly show the importance of retrofitting existing buildings with sprinklers. The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2003 (H.R. 1824 and S. 1566) would create a federal tax incentive to install automatic fire sprinkler systems. Specifically, the bill would classify automatic fire sprinkler systems as five-year depreciable property.

Where It Stands: The bill currently has 134 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives and three cosponsors in the United States Senate.

What the IAFC Is Doing: The IAFC is seeking to increase the number of cosponsors in both the House and the Senate.

What You Can Do:

	Fax a letter to your federal legislators, or meet with them in their district offices, to ask them to cosponsor this bill.
	Explain why retrofitting existing buildings with sprinklers is necessary. Use an example from your community about why a particular fire would not have been as devastating if the building had had a sprinkler system, or how a sprinkler system improved your ability to contain a fire. Be as specific as possible.
	Emphasize the economic cost of structural fires. Over 10.3 billion dollars in direct property damage occurred as a result of fire in 2002. The total estimated indirect cost of fire in 2001, excluding 9/11, was 83.3 billion dollars. This is nearly $100 billion dollars per year in direct and indirect economic costs.
	Building owners do not argue with fire authorities over the logic of protecting their buildings with fire sprinklers. Their concern is cost. Passage of H.R. 1824 would drastically reduce the staggering annual economic toll of fire in the United States.

For further information, contact:

Matthew W. Spengler, IAFC Government Relations Manager, mspengler@iafc.org, 703-273-0911

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