Philly City Council wants propane units on food trucks inspected four times a year

After a major explosion of a propane tank last July in Philadelphia killed two, City Council is pushing for stricter safety standards for mobile food vendors.  

The changes would limit how much propane can be carried on trucks and call for inspections by a propane professional every 90 days.  Now the city inspects food truck cleanliness, but not the propane set up.

Deputy Fire Commissioner Robert Corrigan said he has concerns about how the inspections would be handled, especially since that jurisdiction currently resides with the state.

“The plain fact of the matter is that the department has no authority to conduct operations or services that conflict with the state or federal law,” he said.

Corrigan says he doesn’t have the manpower to handle regular inspections even if granted the authority, which the state isn’t ready to relinquish.  

If the state doesn’t want to do the inspections, Councilman Mark Squilla said he’s going to push for it to give up control.