He said the department has been working with places like the Mull Center and other local business to bring them up to code.

Johnston said buildings like the Board of Trade, the Orrick building and the Wagner building were areas of concern, but are now in compliance.

The Mull Center doesn’t have any violations, Johnston said, but owners need to make some changes to locations of secondary escapes and smoke alarms. The Mull Center’s manager, Teresa Markwas said there is a fire escape on every floor, and they’ve made access to all of the escapes.

Johnston said many building owners try to work with the fire department to be in compliance, but it can take several years, because some renovations are expensive changes.

Johnston said the fire department can shut down a business that doesn’t comply with codes, but they try to work with the building owner to avoid that.