PITTSBURGH — After learning that the nearly 100-year-old Jefferson Apartments building did not have a fire sprinkler system, some Pittsburgh City Council members are raising new concerns about the safety of the city’s aging buildings.
The Jefferson Apartments are not the first historic building in the city to lack modern fire protection.
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Councilwoman Theresa Kail Smith said the issue has been on the city’s radar since at least 2018, when a bill was introduced that would have required sprinkler systems in all buildings 75 feet or taller.
“Obviously, it raised a lot of concerns,” Kail Smith said.
The proposed ordinance was introduced after a deadly 2017 fire at the Midtown Towers, another century-old high-rise that also lacked sprinklers.
But the legislation ultimately stalled.
Fire Chief Darryl Jones said the cost of retrofitting older buildings played a major role in that decision.
“Unless the property owner wanted to be proactive and incur that cost, there’s nothing that can make anybody do it,” Jones said. “That’s voluntary.”
Kail Smith now says it may be time to revisit the idea of requiring sprinkler systems in all buildings, regardless of their age or size.
“I would like to talk to the building owners to see what are the challenges that you have, what are those costs, you know, estimates, and where can we possibly find the funding,” she said.
This time, Kail Smith believes the city should consider offering financial help to building owners who might struggle with the cost of upgrades.
“If we are forcing people to constantly put money into buildings and constantly do things according to our rules, our guidelines, we can’t expect them to offer affordability,” she said.
Councilwoman Barb Warwick, who represents Squirrel Hill, also commented on the the safety of older apartment buildings across the city.
“The fire yesterday in Squirrel Hill was absolutely devastating. In addition to making sure that residents are getting the immediate help they need, we need to take a close look at what happened and what we can do as a city to keep it from happening again. We have a lot of aging housing stock in our city. We need to be sure that all our housing - and especially our rental units - are safe for the people living in them. I look forward to collaborating with Public Safety, PLI, and my fellow Councilmembers on that.”
Kail Smith said she hopes the city can act to prevent another fire like the one at the Jefferson Apartments.
“Whatever happens down the road, we are doing all that we can to make sure that we are providing protection and safety measures,” she said.
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