The Blind Leading the Blind II

The U.S. House of Representative’s Inspector General says the U.S. Capitol and five House office buildings lack basic fire safety measures. Sprinklers are not hooked up to water, alarms are placed where they cannot be heard, and there are inadequate escape routes, says Inspector General John Lainhart IV. “As a result, the safety of members [of Congress], staff, and visitors has been jeopardized and these historic buildings have been left vulnerable to a fire,” Lainhart says. Architect of the Capitol Alan M. Hantman agreed “that buildings in the House complex are not fully protected by modern, state of the art fire protection systems meeting current codes.” However, he said, “there is no legal requirement” that they be. (AP) ...Apparently, “thinking like a politician” rubs off if you get too close.