From THIS post “Schmoe won’t play (probably)”

A District Edict came down a few weeks ago, directing us to check for this (tax) certificate as we conduct our inspections. In the twenty five years that I have been employed by the Kinda Big F.P.D. I have never been used as a tax collector by proxy, I don’t intend to be used as one now.

The collection of this tax has nothing to do with the preservation of life or property. Us checking to insure compliance is an idea hatched by a bean counter in the county finance department and is solely a method to generate additional revenue.

I have no problem enforcing the Fire Code or the County Code as it applies to fire / life safety. I try to develop a rapport with the business owners in my district. I count on them to be prudent when it comes to fire safety. I try to educate them on the various hazards that we come across. A fire in their business is not good for them nor is it good for us.That isn’t what this is about. This is about money. link to original post.

Resulted in THIS senior staff meeting:

http://report-on-conditions.blogspot.com/2009/08/schmoe-gets-jammed-up.html

You need to see the video on Schmoe’s site: Report on Conditions.

Loved the insider references!

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

FOLLOWING LAST WEEK’S FATAL FIRE IN AN ILLEGAL APARTMENT, Quincy, Massachusetts, code enforcement officers have begun a city-wide sweep of suspected illicit rooming houses and apartment buildings.

Last week’s fire (reported in Firegeezer HERE) killed a man and his two children, and left his wife in critical condition.  They were occupying an illegal dwelling unit that had no working smoke detectors and no fire escape.  The city building inspectors had already planned to conduct a surprise inspection on the building on the day after the fire occurred.

Yesterday fire inspectors, acting on a tip, went to two converted houses that are next door to each other and found similar illicit apartments in the basements of both buildings.  WCVB-TV reports:

Fire officials said that the buildings were set up as boarding houses and they found code violations, some which they called the worst they’ve ever seen.  A total of six illegal basement apartments were uncovered between the two buildings.

 ”Disconnected smoke detection. Locked doors, hot plates, excessive bedding,” Quincy Deputy Fire Chief Gary Smythe said.

 Everyone living in the illegal basement apartments was evicted and the landlord was ordered to remove the bedding and other fire hazards.  With signs that more illegal units may have been in the works, a fire watch will be posted outside the building until the units smoke alarms can be reconnected.

The house on the right had four illegal apartments carved out
of the basement.  The house on the left had two more.  Both
buildings are owned by the same person. 
(Patriot-Ledger photo)

The problem of cramming excessive numbers of tenants, mostly immigrants, into coverted houses is apparently widespread in Quincy and has gone uncontrolled until recently.  The city’s building inspector said in the week since the fatal fire, complaints of illegal rooming houses have flooded city offices as awareness of the issue has grown.

The Quincy Patriot-Ledger reports:

In the makeshift units in both basements, there was no heat.  In one apartment, there were hot plates, space heaters and unhinged smoke detectors. Officials described it as a firetrap where narrow windows and a rickety outdoor staircase provided the only means of escape.

Read the full story in the Patriot-Ledger HERE.

WFXT Ch. 25 has this video report:

AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LAST YEAR’S FATAL FIRE in Boston that killed two firefighters, the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal is calling for tighter regulations on how cooking grease is handled in restaurants.

The fire in Roxbury this past August 29 (Firegeezer report HERE) was caused by excessive buildup of cooking grease in the exhaust ductwork.  The ducts had been regularly serviced by a cleaning firm that failed to do their job properly.

The new proposals call for state certification of the firms and mandatory training of all workers.

NECN has a video report:

A BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, FIRE INSPECTOR discovered a disaster waiting to happen last month.

FireNews.net is carrying the story that leads off with:

A routine inspection in an industrial park last month found a chemical supply that could have killed hundreds of people and harmed thousands more.On Feb. 14, a Burlington fire inspector found 856,000 pounds of sodium hydrosulfite, a highly combustible powder that can ignite a fire if exposed to moisture in the air. The plume of sulfur dioxide gas produced in such a fire would likely kill those close by.

A recent report from Burlington Chemical Co. to state and local agencies showed the amount of sodium hydrosulfite reached at least 957,000 pounds at one point, but officials say some has since been removed.

On Friday, Alamance County officials said that the combustion of nearly 1 million pounds of sodium hydrosulfite — the “worst-case scenario” — could kill or permanently injure those within 1.5 miles, assuming wind did not carry the plume farther in one direction.

This “dead zone” would encompass Alamance Regional Medical Center, E.M. Holt Elementary School and hundreds of homes.

Read the entire article HERE to learn how the situation was mitigated.

SINCE THE AUGUST 18th FIRE THAT KILLED TWO FDNY firefighters, the department has instituted a more determined effort to inspect construction and demolition sites.

After the department admitted that the Deutsche Bank demolition project had gone nearly a year without undergoing the required inspections every 15 days, they are vigorously playing catch-up.

[photopress:inspection.jpg,full,centered]
New York Times photo

The New York Newsday reports:

The department looked at 485 sites, which included just over 350 actual buildings, and reported 122 fire hazards that required follow-up inspections by the city Department of Buildings, fire and buildings officials said. More than 200 other calls routed to the Fire Department from the city’s 311 complaint line prompted more inspections.

In the six weeks since the blaze, the Buildings Department has issued 27 stop-work orders stemming from fire-safety issues that shut down construction sites. Before the Aug. 18 fire, 67 such orders had been issued in 2007.

Some people in the department are concerned that a few engine companies in high-construction areas might be overwhelmed with inspection duties, but no doubt they will find a solution for it.

Read the complete story HERE.