On Feb. 20, 2003, a fire ripped through a Rhode Island nightclub, killing 100 concertgoers who had gathered to watch the glam-rock band Great White.
The tragic event made national headlines. In response to the blaze, state, county and city officials across the country scrambled to update their building and fire codes, while Members began figuring out how the federal government should intervene.
At the time, officials groused that the nightclub’s lack of a sprinkler system exacerbated the flames. An obscure trade group representing fire sprinkler companies saw an opening and began working with Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.) and other Members to develop possible tax incentives that could benefit the industry.
The National Fire Sprinkler Association’s point man on Capitol Hill back then was Jim Dalton. A former suburban Washington, D.C., fire marshal, Dalton lobbied for four consecutive Congresses to reduce the number of years it takes for commercial and residential property owners to recoup their investments in sprinkler systems.
He got nowhere. And after 17 years with the group, Dalton retired last year.
Less than a year later, Dalton’s back.
With a new contract in hand, the one-time Montgomery County, Md., official is reviving a coalition of more than 30 corporations, trade associations and fire safety organizations that want to rewrite the tax rules for building owners who are looking to make sprinkler upgrades.
But this time, with the rock concert a distant memory, Dalton has rewritten his lobbying script to address lawmakers’ most immediate concern nowadays: unemployment. While safety is still a top priority, he is gathering steam in Congress with his claim that the legislation will not only put furloughed sprinkler fitters back on the job, but also carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other tradesmen who have to come in afterward and patch up the holes around the systems.
“It’s certainly easy to make the case that you’re doing good things with this in a jobs bill,” Dalton said in an interview this week. “When you retrofit a sprinkler system in a building, there’s a lot of work.”
Making a Splash
To build support, Dalton’s group has begun airing radio ads that encourage listeners to call their Senators to support the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, which he hopes will be attached to a larger Senate jobs package that is expected to come up this summer.
The legislation would allow building owners who install sprinklers to depreciate their upgrades over five years, rather than the current 39 years for commercial property and 27.5 for residential buildings. In the House, the bill is sponsored by Langevin and 137 co-sponsors, while Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and five of his colleagues, including Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Richard Burr (N.C.), are sponsoring a Senate version.
In a statement, Carper called the bill “a win-win-win for the American people” and cited industry research that says the bill would create nearly 10,000 jobs.
“This legislation would improve safety, spur economic activity, and create jobs across the construction industry which has been devastated by the recent recession,” Carper said. “Small businesses, which are the heart and soul of our economy, would particularly benefit from the bill since over 70 percent of the nation’s sprinkler contractors are small businesses.”
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
