Tal Rappleyea is a real estate and municipal lawyer based in New York. In this post, Tal writes about fire safety in apartment dwellings after the Grenfell and Honolulu tragedies.

1. BY TAL RAPPLEYEA
MORE SPRINKLERS
FOR HIGH RISE
BUILDINGS?

2. MERE WEEKS AFTER
a high-rise fire whipped through the
Grenfell Tower in London, killing
dozens of people in the process,
another high-rise fire struck
Honolulu, Hawaii. Although there
weren’t as many casualties as the
Grenfell Tower fire, the tragedies had
something in common.

3. BOTH RESIDENTIAL
BUILDINGS LACKED FIRE
SPRINKLERS.

4. IT’S REPORTED THAT
the Grenfell Tower did not have
sprinklers because not only would it
would have delayed last year’s
renovation process, but it would
have been more costly to the
renovators and the residents. As for
the Marco Polo high-rise in Honolulu,
the building was constructed in 1971,
before the city mandated fire
sprinklers in all newly constructed
buildings. Because of a loophole in
this measure, many buildings in
Honolulu weren’t required to install
sprinklers in buildings that were
constructed before the law was
passed.

5. NOW, THE TOPIC OF FIRE SAFETY
AND FIRE REGULATIONS HAVE
COME TO THE ATTENTION OF
MILLIONS OF RESIDENTS AND
LAWMAKERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.

6. BECAUSE BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE
ARE STILL QUITE A FEW
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN CITIES
ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
THAT DON’T HAVE THIS SAFETY
MEASURE — INCLUDING NEW YORK.

7. REASONS OFTEN CITED ARE COST AND
TIME CONSTRAINTS. BUT WITH THE
TRAGEDY FROM GRENFELL AND
HONOLULU, IS IT TIME TO RE-EVALUATE
THESE MEASURES AND MANDATE THAT
ALL BUILDINGS, REGARDLESS OF WHEN
THEY WERE BUILT, SHOULD BE FITTED
WITH SPRINKLER SYSTEMS?

8. VISIT TALRAPPLEYEA.ORG