And no issue is more complex or misunderstood. Therefore, I welcome the opportunity to present some facts that tend to be lost or obscured in the public discussion of this subject. Raising awareness about fire safety is justified and useful. This is important to our entire community. While the AOC and Capitol Police deal with these issues on a daily basis, fire safety is everyone's responsibility.
Most fires result from human carelessness.
And efforts such as fire drills and identifying emergency egress from each office need to be taken seriously by every person who works on Capitol Hill. While the current state of fire safety is imperfect and must be upgraded, it is important to recognize that today's level of fire safety on Capitol Hill is the best in history. Contrary to some reports, the level of fire safety has not slipped but improved in recent years. In terms of fire safety, Capitol Hill occupants are safer today than 10 years ago. Each year going forward they will be safer still.