EASTON, Pa. — City officials on Thursday announced a new initiative aimed at tightening fire safety compliance in commercial buildings.
The move shifts much of the administrative burden to a third-party firm while increasing oversight, city officials said.
City Councilman Frank Pintabone said at a news conference that the city plans to partner with National Fire Inspection Specialties to track inspections, notify property owners and ensure required fire safety checks are completed on time.
"This company is going to take that over for us, at no cost to the city.”Councilman Frank Pintabone
The program will come at no cost to the city, Pintabone said, because the third-party firm will be paid through an existing administrative fee already collected from property owners.
“So we're not paying them. We're not doing anything,” Pintabone said. “They get paid that $35 fee.”
Currently, property owners pay a $35 administrative fee when submitting fire inspection reports. Under the new system, that fee will go to the company, which will handle reminders, documentation and compliance tracking, Pintabone said.
“It's a lot to oversee, right? And our codes department does a great job, but, you know, it's just a lot of work,” Pintabone said.
“So this company is going to take that over for us, at no cost to the city.”
'Makes sure ... buildings are in compliance'
Under the program, commercial property owners still will be responsible for hiring inspectors to evaluate fire suppression systems, sprinklers, extinguishers and alarms.
The third-party firm will notify owners 120 days ahead of deadlines and follow up to ensure inspections are completed, Pintabone said.
"It just takes some of the weight and the pressure off our codes guys, but it also makes sure that all of our buildings are in compliance."Councilman Frank Pintabone
"It just takes some of the weight and the pressure off our codes guys," he said. "But it also makes sure that all of our buildings are in compliance.”
The announcement comes in the wake of the Hampton Hotel rooming house fire in February. That blaze displaced dozens of residents and renewed focus on fire safety in older buildings.
"The fire inspections are very important because they keep our city safe, coming just off of the Hotel Hampton fire, which displaced 67 people,” Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said.
“Fire safety is very important.”
Panto emphasized that while newer buildings generally are up to code, older properties across the city present ongoing challenges.
“We have a lot of old 19th century buildings in the city, and they're the ones we're concerned about, because they predated the new fire code,” he said.
Pintabone said watching firefighters fight fires in older structures, particularly the Hotel Hampton blaze, has been eye-opening.
"I was at the Hotel Hampton fire throughout the whole thing that day," he said. "And, you know, just watching it and watching the rescues, and having a firefighter fall, you know, just reinforces that.
"This is a good thing that we're doing, always looking at procedures and programs throughout the city and finding ways to always make it better. So that's what it really was."
A year in the making
Pintabone said the idea has been in development for about a year, after reviewing city operations and consulting with other municipalities.
"I’m always sneaking around, since I’ve gotten elected, and just looking at different things and looking how we can do things better,” he said.
“It was just saying, 'Hey, I know we're doing this. Can we do it better?'”
"The mayor has done an amazing job reducing crime … when he talks about safe, it's also safety for fire, protecting our first responders … protecting the residents from fire and faulty buildings or what have you."Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone
Officials said the initiative is expected to go before City Council for approval in the coming weeks.
"The mayor has run numerous elections on the tagline of 'clean and safe,’” Pintabone said. "I think most people think when you say that they're just talking about crime.
"And although the mayor has done an amazing job reducing crime … when he talks about safe, it's also safety for fire, protecting our first responders … protecting the residents from fire and faulty buildings or what have you.
"So, you know, this aligns with everything that he's always been pushing. So we're making sure that our buildings are safe, not only for the residents and visitors, but our first responders that are going in.”
