Peekskill inspectors reiterate fire-safety push after series of deadly state fires

Nick Cissere, Peekskill's building inspector, told the council the city's fire-safety program — created and approved by the council in 2022 — aims to reduce residential fire fatalities and improve occupant safety. "In 2024, 138 people were killed in residential fires in New York state," Cissere said, and he cited cooking equipment, electrical fires (including lithium batteries) and smoking as the leading causes. He said the city documented 305 inspections in 2023 and 333 in 2024, and has performed about 150 inspections so far this year.

Cissere described the operational steps: inspectors send a notice, follow up with door knocks, provide certificates when properties comply and pursue violations in court if owners fail to respond. He told the council the program has identified and remediated more than two dozen overcrowded or unsafe homes in the past 18 months and that the teams prefer education and voluntary compliance over punitive enforcement. Chief Seymour added that the fire department now has multiple certified building-safety inspectors among lieutenants and firefighters, which helps crews collect site-specific hazard information while on calls.

Council members asked about partner programs and installations; Chief Seymour confirmed Peekskill coordinates with the American Red Cross's "Sound the Alarm" smoke-detector installs and offers free in-home safety surveys that follow NFPA checklists. Staff said the city can require operating permits for public assemblies and multifamily properties and will pursue court-ordered compliance when letters are ignored. The departments encouraged residents who are unsure about detector placement or end-of-life replacement to call the building or fire offices for help.