Utica's Fire Chief says "Let's identify the problems and go from there."
Story Created:
Sep 28, 2009 at 7:52 AM EST
Story Updated:
Sep 28, 2009 at 9:34 AM EST
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The first meeting of the Utica Fire Prevention Task Force is set to take place Monday morning at 9:30. Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks says he hopes to have a total of four meetings in all, before coming up with some possible law changes for Utica's Common Council to consider.
The Chief says there are some issues he wants to address with the panel, which he says will include Utica Mayor David Roefaro, people from the codes department and corporation counsel, as well as others.
Chief Brooks says this first meeting is being held just to identify the problems that panel members think need to be addressed when it comes to such things as inspections. This meeting comes just eight days after the apartment building fire on James Street that killed four people, where the owner was cited and ordered to register his building so the city could inspect it. He never did, but was never brought back into court. On Friday, Chief Brooks told News Channel Two, there was no procedure in place to follow up on a non compliance of a judge's order. That is just one issue he says will come up at today's meeting.
Brooks says the second and third meetings will be held to talk about potential solutions to the problems identified today, and a fourth meeting would be held to put something in writing to present to the Common Council. Brooks says he hopes to have something for Council as early as the end of October, if not sooner.
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