MENDOTA – The Mendota Fire Chief gave an update on the status of building inspections in the community at the Public Safety Meeting on Tuesday. Chief Dennis Rutishauser explained that the department can do occupancy inspection for buildings in the city, but in other communities, the overall authority falls to a building inspector, which the city does not currently have. The two recent fires downtown, Rutishauser explained, were 95% likely caused by electrical issues.
Alderman Leo Hochstetter expressed concerns that the city does not do 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 explained, “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 that 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.
Fire Chief Dennis Rutishauser said that the salary the city offers is not appealing for firefighters or paramedics.
The Mendota Fire Department announced they will be testing for new candidates on July 15th.
