Public & Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act Introduced By PA Delegation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A delegation of federal legislators from the area have introduced a bill that would require the installation of hardwired or tamper-resistant smoke detectors in all federal assisted housing units, the measure inspired by a horrific rowhouse fire that claimed the lives of 12 people back in January.

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, who represents Pennsylvania's Fourth Congressional District, announced this week that she has introduced the Public and Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act.

Sen. Bob Casey, a fellow Pennsylvania Democrat, is behind similar companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

Three adults and nine children died on Jan. 5 during the fire in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.

Related: At Least 12 Killed In Philadelphia Fire

"The fire in Fairmount was heartbreaking, and the community continues to mourn the sudden loss of 12 family members, including so many precious children," Dean said in a statement. "Let me be clear — we can never repeat the fire tragedies that we saw in Philadelphia or New York. We must implement critical safeguards that will protect the millions of families that live in public and federally assisted housing."

Investigators in the Philadelphia case determined that the fire had occurred in a public housing unit that contained only one working smoke alarm.

Of the seven total smoke alarms that had been located inside the rowhome, which was a converted apartment, four were located inside drawers, one was on the floor with no batteries, one was on the ceiling without batteries and the final alarm was working but located in the basement, according to Dean's office.

According to Dean, more than 10 million Americans live in public or federally assisted housing, and she claims that this bipartisan legislation would protect those residents from the serious risks of fire.

The National Association of State Fire Marshals has already come out in favor of the federal legislation, which officially is H.R. 7981.

"This extremely important legislation will require the installation of either tamper resistant or hardwired smoke alarms in federally assisted housing," Jim Narva, NASFM executive director, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with Representative Madeleine Dean and her colleagues to enact this bill into law which will prevent future tragedies along with saving countless lives."

The National Low Income Housing Coalition also supports the measure.

While robust federal resources such as those included in the House-passed Build Back Better Act are needed to repair and preserve public housing for future generations, improving the quality of smoke detectors in all federally assisted housing is a simple, common-sense step in the right direction that will save lives," National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO Diane Yentel said in a statement.

The measure was recently passed out of the House Financial Services' Committee and is now headed to the full House floor for a vote, according to Dean's office.