PORTLAND, Maine -- A city panel in Portland is set to take up fire safety recommendations drafted in the wake of an apartment house fire in November that killed six young adults.
The city's Fire Safety Task Force, set up after the Noyes Street fire, has put forward measures to increase landlord-tenant accountability and transparency of inspection records.
The task force has also recommended creation of five new positions to beef up the inspection process. The report says the net cost of implementing the recommendations would be about $255,000.
City Councilor Ed Suslovic, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, calls the recommendations "a darn good start," but he says the challenge is figuring out how to implement the recommendations in very tough budget times.
"My focus right now is working with staff, with the city manager and department heads to figure out how we can do more with our existing resources," Suslovic says.
Suslovic says among the budget factors facing the city are reductions from the state and growing needs for service.
Tom Porter contributed reporting to this story.
