Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my deep sorrow over the tragic fire that took the lives of one hundred forty-two people at a nightclub in the city of Perm, Russia, on December 4th.

News of this fire hit close to home for me, and for many of my constituents, as it closely mirrors the devastating 2003 Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, which killed 100 people and injured over 200 more.  According to early reports, the Perm fire started when performance pyrotechnics ignited the ceiling of the nightclub, sending patrons stampeding for one narrow exit.  One hundred forty-two people were killed and scores more were injured as patrons tried to escape the flames.

In the United States, fires caused over $15.5 billion in damages last year, but their most horrific toll were the over 3,400 lives, including 118 firefighters, who were lost as a result.  Studies have shown that fire sprinklers can dramatically reduce property damage and, more importantly, save lives.  In fact, the National Fire Protection Association has no record of a fire killing more than two people in a public assembly, or an educational, institutional or residential building, with a complete and fully operational automatic fire sprinkler system. 

This is why earlier this year I reintroduced the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2009 that provides tax incentives for property owners to retrofit buildings with automatic fire sprinkler systems. I hope that through this and other measures, we can raise awareness and improve fire safety -- not only in this country, but around the world – and ensure that tragedies like those in Russia and Rhode Island are never repeated.

I want to once again extend my sympathy, and that of the people of Rhode Island, for the families of the victims of the Perm fire and to the Russian people.  We know all too well the pain and loss you are feeling, and we send our thoughts and prayers to your community in this difficult time.