EASTON, Pa. – An Easton City Council committee meeting Tuesday night revisited a fire that injured six people, including a firefighter.

The committee wrapped up a discussion on federal recommendations that stemmed from an investigation and report that revealed the Hotel Hampton building had not undergone fire safety inspections in nine years.

Easton currently relies on just two individuals to handle local fire safety inspections, and with code officials juggling multiple duties, some people say the fire inspection program is being left shorthanded.

“If we were to move to the [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] recommendations, that would be simply impossible?” Councilmember Frank Graziano said.

“I don’t see it without additional staff,” said Dwayne Tillman, the city’s director of planning and codes.

The federal review by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) included recommendations that called for annual checks for the 730 high-rise buildings in Easton.

However, the city currently has no full-time fire inspectors.

Fire Chief Henry Hennings said it would take around three to five days for one person to complete an inspection of a building similar to city hall, making the goal difficult to reach.

“It’s just a matter of getting the amount of people we need to get all these done,” Hennings said. “Without a dedicated full-time fire inspector, I just don’t know if we would ever hit that.”

One proposal involved hiring part-time firefighters to pull double-duty as inspectors, but some council committee members pushed back on that.

“I like the idea; I just don’t like the idea of paying $10,000 to fully outfit firefighters that we potentially might not be using as often as we should,” Graziano said.

City officials say they will look into Bethlehem’s model, which uses six inspectors, to see if a similar fee and hourly structure could work in Easton.

The NIOSH report into the Hotel Hampton fire also highlighted that a crew split up inside the building and a firefighter fell more than 20 feet from a ladder. To address this, the department is purchasing over 100 bailout kits to help firefighters safely repel from windows in an emergency.

Officials emphasized that many of the recommendations will be implemented, including strengthening strategic analysis reviews and plans. However, the key issue still lies with staffing shortages.