The city’s fire department expects to begin inspecting all commercial buildings in the city annually.

City council will have the first public reading at Thursday’s meeting to adopt the 2009 International Fire Code, amending Chapter 139 of the city’s ordinances.

The ordinance could then be adopted in November.

The change will allow the department to inspect any building that is classified as commercial, which includes businesses and any residential property with three or more units.

About 500 buildings are covered by the code.

Single family houses and duplexes will not be subject to inspection.

Council members discussed the code Tuesday night.

Fire Chief Nick Ban told council the inspections are in the best interest of the city.

“We need to do it,” he said. “We have structures here that are not fit for habitation.”

Inspections would focus on fire prevention, including exits, smoke detection, fire escapes and fire extinguishers.

Ban said during the inspections of apartment complexes the fire inspectors would go into each individual apartment.

“It’s all inclusive,” he said.

Ban said violators could be subject to fines so the inspections would help make property owners bring their properties up to code compliance.

Anyone found in violation could appeal the ruling to the city’s Code Management Appeals Board, which consists of architects and engineers.

Ban said Butler Township adopted the fire code more than a year ago and has had good results.

Councilman Kathy Kline, who will introduce the motion on Thursday, agreed the code will make the city safer.

“It’s safeguarding life and property,” she said.

There will be an annual fee charged on each property for the inspection.

Buildings are classified based on overall size. There are four groups, ranging from less than 2,000 square feet to more than 50,000 square feet.

Those groups will be charged from $30 to $120 per year, depending on the size.

The ordinance will be added to the city’s Uniform Construction Code, which already covers most of the International Fire Code. But what it doesn’t cover are the annual inspections.

Ban said the city is divided into four fire districts, and that each shift of the fire department will cover one district each year.

Also on Thursday, council members are expected to vote to hire two part- time firefighters. The city has 18 full-time firefighters and two part-time firefighters. Ban said the department should have three part-time firefighters, per the contract.

Kline said the addition of two firefighters will only improve the safety of the city.