Faulty circuits appear to be far less the cause of fires in Lakewood apartments as faulty cooks.
Perhaps mandatory cooking classes would be in order?
Forty-two minutes into the video/audio recording of the proceedings of the Lakewood City Council the night of July 5, 2016 there is a PowerPoint slide depicting an apartment fire in Lakewood. Lakewood City Attorney Heidi Wachter represents the slide during the public hearing on the Rental Inspection Program as evidence of the need for rental inspections.
Here’s Wacter’s voice-over when the apartment fire slide appears: “As you can see agencies end up with sometimes the worst of the situations where further resources are put into apartment fires which we have experienced in the City of Lakewood.”
That same presentation – and apartment-fire slide – appears on page 38 of the December 14, 2015 City Council meeting culminating the “ugly” portion of “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” visual walkthrough of Lakewood rentals.
Two of the fourteen slides flashed on the screen during “the Ugly” portion are of a mobile home and what appears to be a trailer. Wachter admits during this portion of her presentation that mobile homes are excluded from the Rental Inspection Program (RIP) given the dwellings themselves are not rented, only the ground upon which they sit.
One-half the remainder of the slides (whether they are taken inside mobile homes or other rentals is not clear) show exposed wiring leaving the impression then that it is in fact unsafe wiring that is responsible for apartment fires which is the last slide shown.
Turns out that may not be the case.
A recent inquiry of West Pierce Fire and Rescue (WPFR) as to the cause of fires in Lakewood netted the following:
In researching data from 2011-2015, WPFR “found 106 structure fires that had electrical/arcing as the suspected heat source. The data is only as reliable as what gets inputted by the crews. We are not able to breakdown by zip codes to determine Lakewood only. The 106 incidents represent 14% of all structure fires.”
And then WPFR concludes their findings with this:
“Unattended cooking is by far the source of the majority of structure fires.”
Lakewood appears to have its wires crossed.
Too many cooks have spoiled this stew.
As rental inspection is billed as a safety issue and cooks – not circuits – are the culprits then it stands to the ever-bit-as-absurd reason as employed to-date by RIP architects that cooking classes, followed up by inspectors to ensure safe cooking standards are met, are in order.
Guess who’s coming to dinner.
In researching data from 2011-2015, WPFR “found 106 structure fires that had electrical/arcing as the suspected heat source.
One is too many!
We need these SAFETY inspections!
Thank you City Council.
Plus, I think a safety class should be mandatory for whom caused the cooking accidents!
To suggest a cooking class is just insane.
Mr Wilson,
Mr Anderson drives me about as crazy as anyone but on this I do, in part, agree with him. And have you never seen sarcasm???
If our city government wants to use “facts” was a basis for decisions than can they not at least use the FACTS and not warp them to incite a fear based reaction. There are plenty of non-rental homes that have fires due to wiring, etc as well. So of those 106 fires how many were in rental vs owned structures.
We are pretty sure the City would not want to give that info out b/c it would not support the agenda they are preaching.
After indulging in some friends meals, mandatory cooking classes may well be in order!
Thank you again Mr. Anderson.
I am against this program.
I watched the city council meeting that you linked. I had a couple of take aways.
One, the city of Tacoma doesn’t enter… it’s a straight up money grab. I’ve had rental housing in Tacoma for over 10 years now and pay their ‘business license’ for having rentals in Tacoma. They have recorded one ‘inspection’ that I’m aware of. It was clearly a drive by as I was completely unaware.
The most egregious thing to me is the law piggy backing on MY right to entry notice to perform these inspections and the tenants inability to object to an entry of a city inspector into their home. It is a horrible violation of 4th amendment rights and offensive to me to use my right to enter my property for that purpose. As these inspections will most likely take place during weekday working hours the tenants, for the most part, will not be able to even be there during the inspection…. with a perfect stranger entering their home.
One gentleman, who seemed quite angry, stated that the cost of such a program would be $1 per year per unit. Did he to to school in the Clover Park School District? It is MUCH higher then that. That same gentleman also stated that an eviction can happen without cause according to state law. I believe that is inaccurate… although, in 20+ years of managing my own properties I’ve never had to experience that process. Not to say I haven’t asked anyone to move out and given them notice to vacate the property they always have moved, as is my right under our contract. The 3 or so times that I have asked someone to move it was because they were not taking care of ‘my investment’ according to the terms of our contract. And, it’s true, I didn’t have to give them a reason. It’s my right to rent to who I want for as long as I want. Just as it’s their right to rent from me for as long as they want.
People who seem to be for this program seem to site or mention ‘affordable housing’ as a goal… that seems counter productive to me. These are probably the very same people who believe that I’m sunning myself in Mexico during the winter months with all of my riches acquired on the backs of my tenants. I can assure you that that is not the case. Owning and maintaining rental properties is a never ending to-do list and a balancing act to pay all the bills, including property taxes, utilities, contractors, buying materials and tools and keeping my truck rolling. Aside from contractors, it’s the landlords who walk into Lowe’s, Home Depot and Lakewood Hardware and the staff starts singing the theme song from Cheers.. ‘where everybody knows your name…’.
For the hundreds of thousands of dollars that I have invested, the millions that we, as a group, have invested in properties that provide a very real public service we are constantly under attack. This program is just one more expensive item on the todo list. I have any number of items on that list already… some more pressing or expensive then others. This program will have an impact on my ability to manage the items on my todo list… cutting into valuable time and resources (money) to accomplish other improvements/repairs that I need to take care of.
City of Lakewood? Want public input? Put it to a vote. Put it on the ballot. Let the voters decide if they are willing to institute a city wide rental inspection program and in the ballot measure statement be clear what that would entail including the estimated cost to taxpayers for such a program, to include staffing, vehicles and other resources. Also include a fair representation of the cost per unit over time, costs that will most certainly impact rental costs in Lakewood. It is the right thing to do.
Mr. Wilson suggests one electrical fire is one too many. I agree with Mr. Wilson. One electrical fire is one electrical fire too many. That, however, does not justify our city’s willingness to trample on any American’s 4th Amendment rights.
During my 40 years as a property owner / manager, I had one fire in a 6-plex over on Portland Av East in Tacoma. The fire was not caused by a careless cooker or faulty wiring. It was caused by a careless parent allowing their pyromaniac child to play with a cigarette lighter.
Following Mr Wilson’s logic and based on our City Council’s comfortable willingness to violate Lakewood citizen’s legal rights, perhaps their Rental Housing Safety Inspection Program should include determining if any kids live in the rental property with smoking adults.
If city inspectors find that kind of dangerous, accident waiting to happen, environmental situation, much like bad wiring, then the city may wish to remove the children from the rental home and place them into protective custody until they reach age 18 in order to avoid any fire safety hazards.
After all, one careless firebug child lighter fire is one careless child firebug lighter fire too many.
Ever mindful of being politically correct, our city council cannot speak the truth regarding what is on their mind. City Council’s actions speak louder than their words.
Yes, by their actions our city council communicates their opinion that renters are fearful, dim witted and poor decision makers totally unable to manage their own safety by utilizing any of the multiple resources available to them; anyone of which would protect their safety. Based on that, our city chooses to use a broad brush stroke plan which effectively punishes innocent renters and property owners.
So what we end up with is a ridiculous, expensive, unfair, ineffective rights busting rental housing program hiding behind the large bright shield of the word SAFETY.
City Council knows if they pop the SAFETY shield up as a blocker, they can get away with anything. How can anyone argue against safety? David Anderson and I can.
Joseph Boyle
P.S. I admit to making my point using Oscar Levant approved heavy sarcasm.
I love you Joseph Boyle and love your sarcasm!
I also love the factual parts of your input.
“Lakewood citizen’s legal rights, perhaps their Rental Housing Safety Inspection Program should include determining if any kids live in the rental property with smoking adults.If city inspectors find that kind of dangerous, accident waiting to happen, environmental situation, much like bad wiring, then the city may wish to remove the children from the rental home and place them into protective custody until they reach age 18 in order to avoid any fire safety hazards. How can anyone argue against safety?”
Thank you Joe.
After all, one careless firebug child lighter fire is one careless child firebug lighter fire too many.”