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Escaping Expectations Boston-based firm finds success repairing fire escapes.

WATERLOO - The iron web structure of a fire escape clinging to the building may seem like an obsolete urban icon. Some are used as makeshift balconies, others are condemned - unable to support weight and perform the task for which they were designed. Today, building codes now require interior stairs ad prohibit installing fire escapes on new structures. On many older buildings, however, they may still be the best - or only chance for survival in a fire. CJ Mozes' job is to see if those vintage structures are up to the task, and if they aren't, to make them sturdy again. Mozes and the Boston-based company he works for, Fire Escape Inspectional Services, were in Waterloo to inspect and repair the fire escape on the Park Tower Apartments at 500 Sycamore St. The company is the only one in the U.S. that inspects, repairs and builds fire escapes, Mozes said. "I had been looking for someone to work on that fire escape for 10 years," said Michael Nieman, Park Tower building manager. "I could not find any company in the state of Iowa." The Park Tower building is a typical structure that relies on a fire escape to comply with fire and safety codes. "The existing fire escapes exist because there is no place in the building to put a staircase," Mozes said. The Park Tower building, built in 1928, would have to sacrifice two apartments per floor to install a second internal staircase, Nieman said. Mozes leads crews all over the U.S. to inspect, repair and on some older buildings, install fire escapes. He said few engineers are trained to deal with such structures. "They don't like this type of work," he said. "It's a distressed industry." "If there's any problem with a fire escape, we can solve it, because it's all we do." While the fire escape industry is well past its peak, company founder Cisco Meneses and Mozes say they see an opportunity in inspecting and repairing them. The Company has franchises in Los Angeles, Chicago and is setting up more in Texas and New York. "We're going to grow even if we don't want to," Mozes said. "The amount of work for us is making us grow." Marco Dos Santos of Houston accompanied the crew to Waterloo to continue his training. He will be one of the crew leaders back home. Mozes said he expects business to keep booming, estimating that about 80 percent of fire escapes in the U.S. would not pass inspection right now. The structures' main enemy is rust, he said. Once the structure is reinforced to the building and repaired, the crew coats iron with paint. Mozes said most can be repaired. "They can be very forgiving if you take care of them," he said. Even if one floor is badly damaged, it can be replaced and the rest of the structure, if it's still in good condition, can be left in place. "it's like putting together a giant puzzle." Each project, once completed has to be OK'd by an engineer licensed in the state in which the crew is working. Finding engineering firms willing to certify their work is simple, Mozes said. Finding engineers willing to walk the whole structure can be tougher to locate. "If you're afraid of heights, this not something you want to do," he said.

About The Author Author John Molseed