More than 250 Downtown buildings do not meet safety codes, a report by the El Paso Fire Department shows.
On Tuesday, Fire Chief Otto Drozd presented a report to the El Paso City Council that shows 726 buildings were inspected for unsafe conditions.
In all, 266 buildings did not meet safety codes, the report showed.
Seven buildings require immediate action, 190 were under moderate risk, and 69 complied with codes at the time of construction but not under current city ordinances, he said.
Only 348 buildings met codes. And 112 buildings were found to be vacant and needed further inspection.
The study was conducted after the 130-year-old First National Bank building on San Antonio Street was destroyed by fire in April. Fire investigators were unable to determine the cause because of lack of physical evidence, Drozd said.
The El Paso Fire Department inspected buildings mostly north of Cesar Chavez Highway, south of Wyoming Avenue, west of Octavia Street and east of the Union Plaza District in an effort to prevent another major fire.
Many of the buildings showed structural deterioration, unapproved constructions, exposed electrical wires,
obstructed emergency exits and storage problems.
Hazardous conditions were mostly found in buildings on San Antonio, El Paso and Stanton streets.
Among the seven buildings that required immediate action was the Centro de los Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizos at 201 E. Ninth Ave., where exit doors were locked with chains.
The chains were removed immediately after the inspection, Drozd said.
City Rep. Cortney Niland said the report results are unacceptable.
City Rep. Steve Ortega said the report surprised him.
"When you have 52 percent of the stock at risk, you're putting first responders (police and firefighters) at risk," Ortega said. "That is not only business friendly, but no life friendly."
Ortega said that the city's responsibility is to protect life and that the city needs to look at the best practices for improving building conditions in Downtown.
Drozd recommended that the city issue permits to control the excess storage of combustible merchandise.
The city should consider implementing mercantile occupancy or miscellaneous storage permits to make sure annual inspections occur and to prevent hazardous conditions, he said.
Another recommendation was to have certificates of occupancy, which tell city officials how buildings are being used.
The existing fire code does not require property owners to provide fire officials a certificate of occupancy.
Deputy Building Inspector Bill Stern said his department is taking part in the code enforcement. Inspectors are working in Downtown to make sure buildings are in compliance, he said.
Stern has met with Drozd to discuss the possible modification to the vacant-building ordinance and the importance of implementing the certificates of occupancy, he said.
In the next few days, the Fire Department will hold meetings with Downtown business owners to come up with ideas on how to improve city ordinances. A formal recommendation to improve code enforcement ordinances will be presented to the City Council in about 90 days.
Copyright 2012 - El Paso Times, Texas
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
