Fire code inspections way behind schedule

Some Madeira Beach businesses haven't been inspected in almost a decade, a consultant finds. The fire chief says staffing is a problem.

By AMY WIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 18, 2000

MADEIRA BEACH -- Most businesses along the Village Boulevard strip of John's Pass Village, including six shops affected by the devastating Valentine's Day blaze, have not undergone a fire inspection in at least seven years, city records show.

City policy calls for inspections every other year, and a recent external review of the Madeira Beach Fire Department suggests annual inspections whenever possible, especially within John's Pass Village, the densely populated tourist shopping area.

The fire, which destroyed 12 businesses and was deemed an arson hours after it started, likely could not have been prevented or slowed if the buildings had met modern fire codes. "The fact is, it's arson, and you could have a steel vault, but if someone wants to set it on fire, they're going to set it on fire," said fire Chief Brian Turini, whose job performance was criticized in the consultant's report.

But the inspection reports also showed that in many cases, businesses along Village Boulevard, the only commercial district reviewed by the Times, have not been looked at since the initial fire inspection that allowed them to open.

City Manager Mike Bonfield placed Turini on probation for a year after the release of the consultant's report. Many of the required changes outlined for the department must take place within six weeks to three months. Turini says he is focusing on the necessary changes, including beefing up the department's inspection program.

He admits it has a long way to go. The fact that some businesses can go a decade without seeing a fire inspector did not surprise him. The six inspectors in his department are also firefighters and paramedics, and those roles are most important.

"When that bell hits, that's priority," Turini said.

Turini also had troubles within his department two years ago, when the firefighters' union representative complained to city officials about Turini's leadership. At the time, nine of the city's 12 firefighters rose to the chief's defense, asking the city not to pursue disciplinary action.

The Madeira Beach Fire Department has been restructured in the past couple of weeks, a move that takes some responsibilities out of the chief's hands and allows him to concentrate on firefighting.

The report points out that instability in the city manager's office has contributed to some of the Fire Department's problems. The city has had five city managers and two interim managers since 1986, leading to a lack of continuity and essentially leaving each department floating among different city managers' styles and priorities.

Then came two decisions at City Hall that changed the scope of the Fire Department's role: The city abolished its police department in 1995; then, the city's building official was not replaced when he left in 1999.

Most of the building official's responsibilities transferred to the county, and the Sheriff's Office took over law enforcement for Madeira Beach. But Turini took control of enforcing the city's parking violations and overseeing code enforcement.

"If you work for a place and you care about it at all, you're going to do what needs to be done," said Turini, who has been with the department for 19 years and has been chief for seven years.

Robert Chambers, a Pinellas-based management consultant for the past 27 years, concluded that many of Turini's non-firefighting duties were distractions.

City Manager Mike Bonfield, who hired Chambers after finding low morale and disorganization in his Fire Department, agreed and transferred those responsibilities to other city departments before the consultant's review was even finished.

"That's why I'm back here, focusing on what I'm supposed to be doing," Turini said.

Even Turini's office has been moved -- from the administrative section of City Hall to an area closer to the fire engine garage.

The city could add more staff to the Fire Department or, more specifically, to the fire inspection program. But Bonfield said there are no immediate plans to do that.

"We're looking at that as a possibility," Bonfield said. "Even the chief will tell you that he's wanting to do the best job he can with the people he has. We never try to just throw people at a problem."

Turini said he believes better scheduling can accommodate the fire inspection program's needs.

The consultant's report paid particular attention to John's Pass Village, though Turini is reluctant to focus the inspectors' attention on that area, at the expense of other parts of the city.

"There are approximately 125 facilities in the high-density John's Pass Village that should be inspected annually," Chambers wrote in his report. "Given the nature of these types of independently owned and operated businesses, this should be given the appropriate attention."

Maggie's Treasures, a ground-level store destroyed in the fire, had not undergone a fire inspection since November 1992, according to city records. Alligator Alley, which sustained so much water and smoke damage that its owners considered the store a total loss, had its last fire inspection in June 1991.

"John's Pass has, during the daytime, a lot of people there," Turini said. "So does it need regular inspections? Yes, it does."

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