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Wisniewski: Edgewater fire should be catalyst for residential sprinkler systems

(TRENTON) — Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), the chairman of the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission, had the following published recently in the Newark Star-Ledger:

“In the past 16 months New Jersey has suffered no less than five major fire events that have received national attention. The Seaside Boardwalk fire humbled us with how quickly a fire could spread in certain conditions, and yet the boardwalk is being rebuilt with limited fire safety improvements…

“As the nation watched The Avalon Apartment Complex in Edgewater burn, we saw what our firefighters have been telling us for years. Lightweight construction materials that are commonly used in new construction may be economical, but when fire is introduced it goes up like kindling wood. The images of the fire raging and the building collapsing in on itself are haunting. What’s more haunting is to think what could have happened if everyone wasn’t able to escape…”

To read the rest of Wisniewski’s op-ed, please click here.