Jan. 25 State Rep. James Roebuck, D-Phila. Roebuck has been a strong supporter of the proposal since it was first introduced last year after fatal fires at a Bloomsburg University fraternity house and in a dormitory at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. I don't want to see them or any other Pennsylvania student become a tragic statistic because of a failure to expend funds for sprinklers. Roebuck attended a news conference Tuesday to mark the reintroduction of a sprinkler bill that passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate. The results of a feasibility study commissioned by the Senate were released Wednesday.
Sprinklers are the smart thing to do, period.
Roebuck noted that the State System of Higher Education recently announced a timeline for installation of sprinklers in residential halls on its 14 campuses. The deadline could be extended further if the hardship is beyond the control of the institution. It's getting close to a full year in Pennsylvania and we still don't have one.