Milwaukee residents could soon receive a fire-safety boost, according to Milwaukee Fire Chief William Wentlandt.

Pending approval by the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee of Milwaukee’s Common Council, homes would be required to use tamper-proof sealed-battery alarms. This new requirement would replace the current standard of nine-volt battery alarms found in most homes. Wentlandt says nine-volt alarms are unsafe because they are often left un-powered after batteries run out of power or are removed for various reasons.

Wentlandt and 11th District Ald. Joe Dudzik voiced support for the bill at the committee meeting on Oct. 17. Wentlandt and Dudzik said that the ordinance would be a much-needed upgrade to the city’s fire safety in the face of proposed budget cuts to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Because the current language of the ordinance would require alarms to have specifically Lithium batteries, committee members voted to hold the ordinance until changes can be made to the language to include a wider variety of battery types. The current form of the ordinance is also only applicable to one- and two-family dwellings, leaving what committee members called a gap between smaller homes and 20-unit or larger complexes currently required to have hard-wired alarms. Committee members also wanted research conducted to determine whether or not the ordinance would result in reduced home insurance costs for Milwaukee citizens.

Zoning change near Columbia-St. Mary’s not passed

A proposed zoning change to switch the 2400 block of North Farwell Avenue from residential to business property was not passed by the Milwaukee Common Council on Monday, Oct.16.

The residential area is located one block north of North Avenue and a block east of Columbia-St. Mary’s Hospital.

Approximately 25 residents from the surrounding blocks voiced opposition to the changes at the meeting. While the residents are not opposed to development, one resident said they are not in favor of giving businesses a blank check to build what they please.

At present, no plans have been submitted to Milwaukee to develop that block. If plans are submitted, then the Common Council will hold another public hearing and consider re-zoning the area.

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