Mendota officials talk building inspections in wake of recent downtown fires

Mendota Fire Chief Dennis Rutishauser updated the city Tuesday on the status of building inspections during the Public Safety Meeting.

Rutishauser said the department can conduct occupancy inspections for buildings in the city, but in other communities, the authority falls to a building inspector, which the city does not have. The two recent fires downtown, Rutishauser said, were 95% likely caused by electrical issues.

Alderman Leo Hochstetter expressed concerns the city doesn’t conduct full fire safety inspections on properties, and asked what it would take to get those inspections started. The fire chief suggested the city hire a full-time building inspector instead of trying to get fire department employees trained on all facets of building codes, including structural, electrical and plumbing.

“Our fire guys spend most of their time in the ambulance” Rutishauser said, “because we have so few staff all the full-time people have to do those calls.”

Alderman Kyle Kim asked what it would take to bring the staffing up to acceptable levels, and Rutishauser said they needed to double the department size with six or seven more full-time employees.

City Clerk Emily McConville noted the city would need to come up with the funds to increase the budget that much.

Mayor David Boelk, in a heated moment, expressed frustration with the financial contributions from the rural fire protection district.

Rutishauser said the salary the city offers is not appealing for firefighters or paramedics.

The Mendota Fire Department announced it will be testing for new candidates on July 15.