Thomas Breen photo
Vacant fire-damaged house on Monroe Street in Fair Haven.
Placards to be placed outside vacant buildings, displayed at hearing.
City plans to revive a vacant building registration program moved ahead, as the fire chief pitched alders on the “life-saving” value of knowing if a building has an open roof or holes in the floor or stairs missing before a firefighter rushes in to put out a blaze.
That was the outcome of the latest monthly meeting of the Board of Alders Legislation Committee. The virtual meeting took place Tuesday evening online via Zoom and YouTube Live.
The committee alders voted unanimously in support of a proposed amendment to Chapter 13 of the city Code of Ordinances that would create a a vacant building registration program as part of the fire code.
Fire Chief John Alston.
Fire Chief John Alston framed the proposed legislation as accomplishing much more than simply creating a catalog of empty structures around town. If approved and enacted, such a program could save lives by ensuring that firefighters know what to look out for when responding to a blaze.
“Vacant building fires are highly unpredictable” and, because of open windows and open floors, “vacant buildings increase the number of fire fatalities and injuries,” Alston said.
“We want to make sure there is a visible warning” outside of such a vacant structure warning firefighters as to what dangers may be waiting for them inside.
Alston said such a program existed in the city 25 years ago. This proposal would revive and update such an effort. Click here, here, and here to read the documents associated with this proposal.
Here’s how the program would work, according to the text of the proposed ordinance amendment and according to Alston’s presentation to the committee alders on Tuesday:
First, the owner of a vacant building would have to pay a fee and register that structure with the city. The vacant building registration fees are set by the mayor and the Board of Alders each year in the city’s annual budget.
For the current fiscal year, the initial cost of registering a vacant secured residential building is $250, and the renewal cost is $500. The initial fee for a vacant unsecured residential building is $375, and the renewal cost $500. The initial fee for vacant secured and unsecured commercial buildings is $1,000 each, and the renewal fee $2,500.
Landlords can apply for exemptions from registering if, for example, the building is vacant for no longer than six months because of fire damage or extreme weather damage, and if the landlord has begun pulling necessary permits to rehab the structure.
Once a building is registered, a city fire official will place a placard on or within 14 feet of the building.
Those placards will come in three different designs: a clear red square for “normal structure,” a red square with one white line through it for “enter with caution,” and a red square with two white lines forming an X in the middle of it for “do not enter.”
“If there is a box with an X, we know not to enter at all unless to save a life,” Alston said. “That is life-saving information for us.”
Alston said that he was injured in a vacant building fire several years ago. His wife later asked him, “Why on earth did you get injured in a vacant building” when there was nothing inside to save?
Alston said that there may indeed be something, or someone, to save in a vacant building fire. “There may be people in there, maybe people who are unsheltered, or people just trying to stay out of the weather, or maybe folks up to no good.”
Vacant building owners would then have to renew their registrations with the city every year.
Alston said that the program is a collaboration among the fire department, the building department, and the Livable City Initiative (LCI). Those three city agencies will coordinate and share information about which buildings are vacant, and about what city actions need to be taken by which department.
He said that, if the program is approved, the fire department would have to provide a quarterly report to the Board of Alders stating the number of vacant buildings citywide and the amount of fees collected.
Where exactly in the ordinance amendment are the various registration fees spelled out? Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow asked.
Those aren’t in the ordinance itself. Rather, they are set each year in the permits and fees section of the city budget.
“This is not a way to make money,” Alston said. “It is to get compliance.”
If building owners violate the terms of the program, they can be fined $250 per unit per day, according to the ordinance amendment.
How many vacant buildings are there currently citywide? Furlow asked.
Approximately 293, Alston replied. They’re a mix of single-family residential, multi-family residential, and commercial buildings.
Ultimately, the committee alders voted unanimously in support of the amendment that would create the vacant building registration program.
“I am grateful for Chief Alston and city staff for putting this together. It seems like a really good idea,” Westville Alder Adam Marchand said before he and his colleagues voted in support.
The proposal now advances to the full Board of Alders for further debate and a final vote.