NRMCA, Industry Allies Help Introduce Fire Safety Construction Legislation in New Jersey

NRMCA and industry allies Portland Cement Association (PCA) and the New Jersey Concrete &Aggregates Association (NJCAA) helped introduce legislation to make multi-family construction safer for occupants and first responders in the state of New Jersey. The proposed legislation comes in the aftermath of a devastating fire in January in the state's community of Edgewater that destroyed a 408-unit apartment complex and put an estimated 1,000 people out of their homes. The legislation, introduced by Assemblywoman Maria Rodriguez-Gregg, R-Medford and Assemblyman Joseph Lagana, D-Paramus, prohibits light-frame wood construction in communities with a population density of more than 5,000 people per square mile and limits wood frame construction in less populated areas to three stories.

Large scale fires from combustible wood construction are becoming more common and pose a significant risk to occupants and first responders. While allowed in building codes, mid-rise structures built with combustible materials do not have the inherent protection of non-combustible materials such as concrete. The bill’s language, scripted in part by NRMCA’s Lionel Lemay and Tien Peng in coordination with experts from PCA and NJCAA, seeks to limit fire risks in highly population areas of New Jersey, limit the height of wood frame in other areas, and add noncombustible firewalls and more robust automatic sprinkler systems. Additional provisions of the bill include 24-hour fire watch guards during construction and exterior signage warning tenants and first responders of the fire risk for wood-frame buildings.