Fire Safety

Fire sprinkler retrofit is high cost, low benefit

What we have here is a solution in pursuit of a problem. A bill in a City Council committee would require the retrofitting of all high-rise residences in Philadelphia with automated water sprinklers at great cost with virtually no safety benefit. If residents of high-rises won’t benefit, who will?

Fire Safety

Who is to blame for fires?

Adam Thiel, Philadelphia’s 20th fire commissioner, has done doctoral work in public policy, in addition to earning degrees in fire science and history. On Tuesday, he showed his public policy chops with a declaration that the “root cause” of fire disasters is a dearth of safe, affordable, public housing.