On the heels of [the] horrific Bronx fire that killed 17 people, including eight children, Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Ritchie Torres on Tuesday unveiled a "4-point federal fire safety package" that includes addressing sprinklers, self-closing doors, heaters and federal investigation powers. — ABC 7
The pair of lawmakers had recently joined together to push the federal government to include the Cross Bronx Expressway into the infrastructure bill. Their new fire safety plan includes a mandate on automatic space heater shutoff features. The early-January fire that killed 17 at the Twin Parks North West apartment building near Fordham University has been blamed on a device that had been left unattended for days.
Torres has been adamant about bringing the incident into the national conversation on housing inequality, pushing in Congress for punitive measures that can be affected against landlords that do not properly maintain routine building safety measures like the self-closing doors that failed in Twin Parks.
“People of color in places like the South Bronx often live in conditions that put them at far greater risk of losing everything — their homes, their families, their own lives — from a catastrophic fire,” Torres said at a press conference. “We have the tools to save lives. All we need is the political will.”
3 Comments
Instead of enforcing existing ordinances, try to pass responsibility for local failures on to the Federal government in an attempt to gain local political capital.
Calling for action is often the opposite of taking it.
*** LONG POST WARNING ***
The federal government doesn't adopt or enforce building codes and some of these buildings are 'grandfathered' in because unless remodel or renovation occurs, it doesn't trigger things like automatic sprinkler systems or upgrades of those systems to current systems that meets the current NFPA 13(whatever letter or no letter). In many places, there is no mandatory maintenance code or mandatory upgrading safety systems every so many code cycles if the equipment A) goes into disrepair and not fixable, or B) it no longer meets the requirements and therefore require upgrading those systems in order to continue use. Only States and local government is currently authorized to make mandate building codes and enforce them. If the Federal government wishes to do so, the federal government must A) adopt a nation-wide adopted building code and requirements that those requirements are met.
They will need to establish at least one "Federal buildings & structures Code Enforcement" branch office in each state where they coordinate with the State Building Code division/department, and the state codes and review what requirements the states adopted meets or exceed the federal requirements. Federal & State coordinates with all local officials. In addition, where there is no state-wide or even a governing local building code, the federal code requirement would be required to be met. It can be based on the same I-codes with federal amendments if so deemed. Certain federal enclaves like the military may be exempt from this code as they have their own DOD standards for some structures that they build that would not be required to follow such codes but some types of structures may be required to meet or DOD takes steps to adopt standards above such requirements but that's another issue altogether. Stamping requirements would be required to comply with state licensing laws for the practice of architecture/engineering, and the Federal government would not require a stamp for projects exempt at the state.
In D.C., it would have a Director of the Department of Buildings & Structures Code Enforcement office to administer all branch offices across the country and also house the D.C. branch. This would require an adequately funded department with staffing that would be adequate to function properly. They don't replace local and state and would have to have inspectors to check facilities where there isn't code enforcement and may assist or do maintenance inspections that state or local governments are not doing. This does not exist and would likely not exist anytime soon.
In my opinion, something along this line can set some baseline so all places in the U.S. will have mandatory codes for buildings and structures to be met. Of course, when federal standards are stricter than the state or local, the stricter standard that provides for greater safety or intended performance requirement be met. Not much different than federal minimum wage sets a minimum pay that any employer in the country has to pay employees. This way, even if states (and/or local governments) that are lackluster about adopting codes to improve safety would be met by such federal codes.
If the Federal government is going to be paying building code department, they need to not make demands and leaving it entirely up to state/local to enforce without either aiding in the enforcement of such requirements and/or putting the resources to HSW is addressed. This is an idea, only. It might be a good idea or a shitty idea but it's an idea.
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