New Rules for Building Inspections

New York, NY —

Firefighters will spend more time examining city buildings, under new inspection rules at the Fire Department. Buildings will now be inspected for nine hours a week, a three hour increase.

Inspection reports will also undergo greater scrutiny - they'll be reviewed by borough commanders, instead of department heads. A new computer program will track inspections and remind units when the next one is due. Fire Commissioner Nicolas Scoppetta says the new program gives firefighters a firsthand look at buildings before an emergency.

The changes come after Mayor Bloomberg ordered a comprehensive review of inspections, following the deaths of 2 firefighters in a blaze at the former Deutsche Bank building in August.