In May 2021, Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York was censured by the House of Representatives for pulling a fire alarm. The incident occurred in April of that year, when Bowman was attending an event organized by Congressional Progressive Caucus at the Cannon House Office building. Although Bowman had not been officially designated as a fire warden at the event, he pulled the fire alarm believing that there was an emergency in the building. However, it was later discovered that there had been no emergency.
In response to the incident, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution condemning Bowman’s actions and censuring him for the alarm pull. The resolution, which was passed by voice vote, prohibits Bowman from speaking on the floor of the House until he obtains a certificate from the U.S. Fire Administration authorizing him as a fire safety officer. In addition to the action taken by the House, an investigation was launched by the Office of Congressional Ethics.
