by amy zimmer
The Freedom Tower, the United Nations, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Port Authority Bus Terminal are among the more than 800 major buildings not covered by the city's safety codes.
Since they are owned by the federal or state government, quasi-independent agencies like the Port Authority or MTA or foreign organizations, they are not subject to inspections by the city's police, fire or buildings departments.
Yet, those departments are called upon when emergencies happen.
"We need to have one building code standard," Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said yesterday.
Stringer was joined by Joseph Graffagnino, the father of one of two firefighters killed in a blaze almost a year ago at the former Deutsche Bank building, which was being dismantled due to Ground Zero contamination. Then owned by the joint city-state Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the building was technically exempt from the city's inspections and enforcement, Stringer pointed out.
"We don't want it to happen again," Graffagnino said. "We don't want firefighters going into buildings where they don't know what they're getting into."
No authority for city
Some buildings do allow fire inspections, but the findings — including potentially dangerous violations — are just advisory, explained Jim Riches, a recently retired FDNY Deputy Chief. "They're above the law."
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