Following the City Council’s May 19th vote on the first package of fire safety legislation to pass in response to the Jan. 9 Twin Parks North West fire tragedy, a group of primarily Bronx council members in the form of Council Members Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), Althea Stevens (C.D. 16), Amanda Farias (C.D. 18) and Carmen De La Rosa (C.D. 10), have introduced a further bill which aims to to expand the city’s Heat Sensor Program (HSP). According to the councilmembers’ offices, the program identifies buildings with recurring heat violations for enhanced monitoring and enforcement.

The councilmembers said the program, part of Local Law 18 of 2020, was previously introduced by former Bronx councilman and now Congressman Ritchie Torres, who continues to represent The Bronx in Congress. HSP required New York City Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) “to identify 50 multiple A dwellings to install internet-capable, temperature reporting devices for up to four years, and to conduct dedicated heat inspections of these buildings at least once every two weeks.”

Despite some flaws in the implementation and enforcement of the program, according to the council members, HSP has been successful, overall, in improving the heating situation in some of the most impacted buildings across the City. Following its success, the council members said Int 434 would build on it, identifying additional impacted buildings based on factors including the number of temperature violations identified per building and the number of heat-related complaints logged every two years. They added that tenants would also be able to opt in to provide automatic heat data transmission to HPD to assist with the heat monitoring.

Sanchez, who is chair of the Council Committee of Housing and Buildings, and who represents Morris Heights, University Heights, parts of the Fordham neighborhoods, and Kingsbridge, said of the bill’s introduction, “In the midst of an affordable housing crisis, where apartments for extremely low-income New Yorkers represent less than 1 percent of available units in the city, keeping people in their homes is essential. Maintaining households requires robust code enforcement that improves housing quality. This is why expanding the Heat Sensor Program is critical.”

She continued, “Tackling the lack of adequate heating will not only improve quality of life, but will also keep New Yorkers safer in their homes. Constituents should never have to choose between their safety and their comfort. Our frontline communities – especially low income New Yorkers – should have both.”

Referring to the Twin Parks fire tragedy of Jan. 9, which, as reported, the FDNY said originated from a space heater, the councilwoman said the avoidable and tragic loss of 17 Black, Muslim, immigrant New Yorkers could have been prevented. “Whereas remote heat sensing technology has already proven its ability to ensure greater compliance with heating requirements, expanding heat sensors to 150 buildings per borough will improve both safety and quality of life for more tenants across this city.”

She added, “This bill will be another stop on the journey to fire safety and improved housing quality. Ultimate success will require vigilance however, as success will rely on effective inspections and remediation of complaints submitted by tenants.”

For his part, Torres, who represents New York’s congressional district 15, which mainly covers the southern portion of the West Bronx as well as the South Bronx, echoed Sanchez’s words, saying, “Consistent heat and hot water are basic housing needs that no one should have to live without. This bill will bring the housing code up to par and ensure landlords are held accountable if they fail to supply adequate heat to their tenants.”

At a congressional level, Torres continues to represents Fordham Heights where the fateful Twin Parks fire took place, and has also introduced separate fire safety and fire prevention legislation at congressional level in response to the tragedy. “Following the fire at Twin Parks North West, we must remain dedicated to preventing tragedies like this from happening again and that begins with mandating and regulating essentials like heat and hot water,’ he said. “I am grateful for the continued efforts of CM Sanchez and her colleagues to ensure this bill becomes a reality and provides families with safe and decent housing.”

For her part, Stevens, who represents Claremont, Concourse, Concourse Village, Highbridge, Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Morrisania, the neighborhoods previously represented by now Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, said ensuring the warmth and safety of families was of the utmost importance. “The success of the pilot program initiated by [the] now Congressmember Torres shows that the hundreds of heat complaints our offices get every winter are not inevitable. I am glad to stand by my colleagues to bring this heat sensor technology to our communities,” she added.

Farías, who represents the neighborhoods of Soundview, Castle Hill, Parkchester, Clason Point and Harding Park, categorized Intro 434 as an important piece of legislation that she said tackled the root of the issue of what causes many of the fires in the borough – a lack of adequate heat within buildings. “Lack of heat requires in-need families to look for other means that can put them at-risk, including opening the oven and using space heaters. This bill solves those problems,” she said in part.

The councilwoman continued, saying in part, “This is important, not only to provide oversight of an agency, but by empowering community members to advocate for better quality of life. It’s important for us, as elected officials, to not only make sure that people can age in place, but live comfortably. Lack of heat in our homes is a quality-of-life issue that affects every member of the family, and can negatively impact every aspect of their life, including mental and physical health.”

For her part, De La Rosa, who represents Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan and Marble Hill in The Bronx, said all New Yorkers deserved to live in dignified and healthy homes. “As we so tragically saw on Jan. 9, in the Bronx Twin Parks fire, the lack of heat during the cold months can be fatal,” she said, adding that she was proud, together with her colleagues, to take action on what she called a critical housing justice issue.

According to the various councilmembers, Int 434 couples with Int 204 to also raise the fees for certain complaint-based housing inspections, where multiple heat and hot water or immediately hazardous violations, have been issued, from $200 to $500, as part of a concerted effort to address and improve code enforcement and landlord accountability ahead of the next heat season in October 2022.

As reported, firefighter, Zachary Bitzer of the FDNY provided fire safety training to community members in conjunction with District 11 Councilman Eric Dinowitz’s office on Feb. 28.