July 10, 2025
Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and John Rutherford Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Equip Public Housing Units with Fire Sprinklers
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and Congressman John Rutherford (FL-05) have reintroduced the Public Housing Fire Safety Act, a bipartisan bill that provides critical funding for public housing authorities to install fire sprinkler systems in older government-owned high-rise buildings. The legislation addresses a growing public safety issue by helping protect vulnerable residents in buildings constructed before modern fire safety requirements.
The Public Housing Fire Safety Act will provide homes with much safer equipment, all while aiding the safety and health of brave firefighters.
This legislation comes at a time when we are seeing rising temperatures and worsening wildfire seasons. Such as the 1,193 wildfires that burned through 18,043 acres statewide in New Jersey during 2023; As of April 30, 2025, Florida has been experiencing significant wildfire activity, with 100 wildfires burning across 3,123 acres. These conditions underscore the need for proactive fire protection across all communities.
For families living in aging public housing, especially those built prior to the 1992 Federal Fire Safety Act. The lack of basic sprinklers drastically reduces fatalities and injuries; thousands of government-owned buildings across the country, including many in Florida and New Jersey, remain unsprinklered decades later.
“The growing frequency of climate-driven disasters like wildfires has only magnified the need to act,” said Congresswoman Watson Coleman. “As this country faces emergency after emergency, it's our responsibility to mitigate and provide solutions so American people aren’t suffering. By ensuring our citizens living in public housing have the most basic fire safety measures, they become the priority. The added benefit that it will help save the lives of our nation’s bravest makes this a no-brainer.”
“Older public housing units are often not up to code, leaving residents exposed to potential hazards,” said Congressman Rutherford. “I am proud to join Congresswoman Watson Coleman to reintroduce the bipartisan Public Housing Fire Safety Act to provide grants to public housing authorities as they update older facilities with sprinkler systems. This simple change can prevent unnecessary disasters and ensure residents, their belongings, and our fire rescue teams are kept safe.”
The Public Housing Fire Safety Act:
- Creates a grant program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide funds to public housing authorities who wish to retrofit old high-rise apartments to install automatic sprinkler systems in certain public housing projects.
- Collects data on the status of sprinkler installations and submit a report to Congress on the presence or absence of automatic sprinkler systems in public housing with recommendations to improve fire safety.
The Federal Fire Safety Act of 1992 mandated that all new government-owned high-rise buildings be equipped with sprinkler systems, but this requirement did not apply retroactively. As a result, more than 2 million Americans living in older public housing remain at risk. In New Jersey, hundreds of high-rise buildings constructed before 1989 are still not fully sprinklered. Florida also contains a significant number of older high-rise properties built before federal fire safety mandates, many of which still house public housing residents.
Fire sprinklers are among the most effective and cost-efficient methods for stopping fires before they spread. Studies have shown the civilian death rate is 81 percent lower in buildings with sprinklers, and firefighter injuries are reduced by 79 percent. Yet many housing authorities operate under tight budgets, facing difficulties between repairs and long-term infrastructure upgrades.
The Public House Fire Safety Act can be read here.