Proposed fire escape law could cost landlords

&emsp;&emsp;Bellevue's code enforcement officers have asked the borough council to consider adopting an ordinance that will require the owners of some residential rental properties to install exterior fire escapes that some landlords fear could be prohibitively costly.&emsp;&emsp;Fire marshal Jack Davin, a retired paid firefighter who recently began work as Bellevue's assistant code enforcement officer, told council at a recent meeting that for many years inspectors have been telling the owners of three-story/unit rental properties that they must install an exterior staircase from the third floor to provide egress in the case of a fire. &emsp;&emsp;However, Davin said, there are no laws on the books in Bellevue that allow the borough to enforce such a directive.&emsp;&emsp;The standard would apply only to rental properties that house more than two units. If a building has three stories but the third floor is part of the second floor unit, the exterior staircase would not be required. Specifically, any residential unit in which the occupants must travel more than 75 feet to reach the ground must offer a second means of egress, either an interior or exterior staircase. Fire ladders sometimes used by people in their homes will not be sufficient, Davin said, rather the exterior escape must be a staircase built of metal or properly fire-rated wood.&emsp;&emsp;In response to a question from council member Jeff Stuncard, who owns rental properties in the borough, Davin said that if the new law is adopted, properties that currently do not offer a third floor fire escape yet have valid occupancy permits from the borough will not be exempt, or at least not for long. That's because Bellevue's code enforcement office plans to resume rental property inspections under an ordinance that was adopted a number of years ago. Under that law, Davin said, landlords must renew occupancy permits every three years following a building inspection that will require compliance with new laws and safety codes.&emsp;&emsp;Stuncard said that the cost of installing such a staircase would cost in the "six figures." Another landlord, Joe Scioscia Jr., said that he had priced a fire escape for one of his properties and received an estimate of more than $100,000.&emsp;&emsp;"No way," Davin said, estimating the cost at possibly as much as $20,000 or $30,000. An on-line search for fire escape costs in Western Pennsylvania produced estimates of a few thousand dollars in most cases, with a handful exceeding $10,000.&emsp;&emsp;Davin said that landlords could install sprinkler systems in third floor apartments in lieu of building exterior staircases, but that a sprinkler system was likely to be even more expensive.&emsp;&emsp;The intent of the proposed law, Davin said, is to give people the best chance of getting out of a building on fire as quickly as possible in a situation in which every minute counts.