Fires have been occurring in homes since we learned to use fire for warmth and cooking. Year after year, fire departments respond to fires at residential properties that are preventable. With more families living in apartment complexes, the destructive power of these fires are greater, affecting the lives of many families at one time.
The July 18, 1960, Butteville Insurance Co. News and Views newsletter of Woodburn, OR, stated that the number one cause of home fires was cooking. Butteville Insurance urged their policyholders to cooperate “in an all-out loss prevention program” to reduce the loss of life and property due to preventable fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “In 2016, cooking was the leading cause of residential fires and the second-leading cause of home fire deaths. About 47 percent of all residential fires are caused by cooking, with heating appliances coming in next at 15 percent.” Clearly, there is a problem and it requires us to change our tactics in helping these communities help themselves and for them to become aware that their inattention could be the cause of multiple families losing their homes and possibly a family member.
Addressing the problem locally
In 2015, Clackamas Fire District #1 (CFD1) decided that we wanted to be a catalyst of change, adapting our approach toward these communities. The Apartment Inspection Program was developed to provide consistent code enforcement, educate apartment managers and owners, and to empower apartment residents to help improve the safety of their families and communities.
Clackamas Fire’s service area includes 335 multi-family housing complexes (triplex or larger), which consist of 1,690 buildings and 14,621 residential units. CFD1 was concerned with the high number of fire and medical calls in these communities, and wanted a way to address problems before they became larger and potentially resulted in the loss of life or property.
Through the program, all complexes are assigned to a single fire inspector, therefore enabling CFD1 to ensure that the same information is given to all apartment complexes. Additionally, providing a single point of contact is beneficial for apartment owners and managers, as well as residents, who are able to quickly contact the correct person and receive timely responses to their questions or concerns.
Apartment owners and managers can find information on what to expect during their annual inspection, including what paperwork the fire district needs to see for sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and private hydrants, as well as important information about carbon monoxide and smoke alarm laws on CFD1’s website. Oregon is one of the few states that has state statutes that require smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in all residences at the time of sale or leasing. Our website is a great resource for residents, who can access fire and life safety materials in multiple languages, and use an online form to report any concerns they have about their apartment complex.
Annual inspections
Inspections are conducted annually, and include only the outside and common areas of the complexes. Stairways and under stairways are considered common areas, and are included in these inspections. Individual units and balconies are private residences, and are not within CFD1’s jurisdiction to inspect.
Building addresses is one of the primary concerns during the annual inspection. If the building or unit numbers are not visible, it will take longer to respond to an emergency. CFD1 now ensures that all buildings are clearly marked, and that stairwells indicate the apartment units they serve. Landscaping is moved or removed if it blocks the addresses. Maintenance is ongoing throughout the year to ensure addresses and unit numbers are visible. This helps everyone in the community, from emergency responders to the pizza delivery person.
Other key areas of concern during the inspection include the servicing of fire extinguishers, fire sprinkler and alarm systems, and private hydrants to ensure that they are in good working order. Managers and owners are also required to verify that working smoke alarms and, when required, carbon monoxide alarms are installed in every unit and common area per state law. By the end of 2016, apartment complexes had installed 914 carbon monoxide alarms and 1,127 fire extinguishers that were not previously in place.
Making sure that exits are kept clear and ready for use at all times has been one of our greatest challenges. Educating apartment managers and owners about minimum egress width and the importance of keeping combustibles and trip hazards out of them is a work in progress. Identifying that not all apartment complexes are able to use the door-to-dumpster garbage service is currently one of our main objectives. Garbage, recycling, storage and even boxes left by package delivery providers can become life-endangering obstacles during an emergency for residents and for emergency responders when left in exit ways.
Working with building management
Managers and owners of the apartment complexes have been supportive in our endeavors to provide better care for their residents, to protect their buildings and to be a more active partner in their complex community. One of greatest results has been better communication and the ability to decrease the amount of fire-code violations due to the apartment managers checking with the fire department before instituting changes that may be in violation of the state fire code. By having a single, direct contact, residents are able to voice complaints that they might otherwise be silent about. CFD1 has an online form that anyone is able to fill out or residents can call the inspector directly to file a complaint.
When CFD1 does not have jurisdiction to correct a problem, perhaps regarding a building code, the inspector helps the resident with filing a complaint with the building department or code enforcement. If the resident does not want their name mentioned, CFD1 files the complaint in the district's name so the resident can remain anonymous. This has allowed many residents to feel not only protected, but also validated when the violation is resolved.
FEMA grant expands program
In 2016, CFD1 applied for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Fire Prevention and Safety Grant with the hope of expanding the Apartment Inspection Program. The department was awarded the grant and the Apartment Inspection Program has continued to expand and thrive. An additional benefit has been our partnership with Stopat4.com in helping to bring awareness to window fall prevention.
In addition to providing annual inspections at all apartment complexes, the FEMA grant enabled CFD1 to accomplish the following over the grant year:
- We purchased and distributed over 150 children’s bike helmets. We collaborated with the free summer lunch programs through Clackamas County to fit children with helmets when they came for lunch. Children riding bikes in the apartment and manufactured home communities were fitted and given helmets when CFD1 personnel drove through and saw them riding without helmets.
- We purchased over 1,500 Kidco window stops and partnered with 20 apartment complexes and Clackamas County Housing Authority to have their facilities people install them.
- We created an open source tri-fold safety brochure that was translated into Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese and printed 9,500 copies for distribution. These languages, and English, are the top four languages in our public schools system.
- We updated the Apartment Safety booklet with the assistance of a graphic artist and printed 15,000 for distribution. The booklet includes safety messages, safety checklists, and a fire escape plan tool. Apartment complexes are given one booklet for every unit they have, plus a few extra for new move-ins.
- We wrote seven public safety announcements that were placed in local newspapers.
- Two window safety props were built in-house by inspectors that have three different safety devices installed on them that demonstrate window safety.
- We printed and distributed 150 window fall prevention posters throughout the community. We were fortunate in partnering with Stopat4.com and were allowed to use a poster that one of their members, Becca Keen, had created. Keen also wrote the children’s book, “If Kids Could Float, A Window Fall Prevention Story,” and gave us several copies to bring to local reading events that CFD1 does annually.
- We purchased 101 hard-of-hearing/deaf smoke alarms to distribute free of charge to community members. We also install them when doing smoke alarm campaigns in partnership with local Rotary clubs for hard-of-hearing residents in mobile home parks and manufactured home communities.
- We created an activity/coloring book for children ages five through nine and printed 6,200 for distribution. Employees of CFD1 submitted drawings to be included in the activity book.
- We held five community events at high-risk apartment complexes where we demonstrated the window safety prop, fitted bike helmets for children, gave away safety information, prizes for the safety wheel questions and ice cream.
Lessons learned
As CFD1 begins the fourth year of the five-year community risk reduction plan for apartment complexes, we have learned many valuable things through the challenges and successes we have faced. Both verbal and written communication have been key in our success. Collecting manager emails from each apartment complex has enabled us to send out quick reminder messages, product recall information, and educational class information.
Internally, the program has involved many divisions within CFD1 requiring that each division communicate clearly and effectively with one another. Insight and feedback from the suppression crews has been awesome and necessary since they are responding to the calls and are directly affected when a unit is hard to find or there are blocked fire lanes. Another key to the success of the program has been support from our chief officers, which has allowed the program to grow.
Lastly, relationships with other agencies in our area, such as county and city code enforcement, water purveyors, Stopat4.com and apartment management companies, has allowed us to truly provide a great service to our citizens. CFD1 partners with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue quarterly by helping with an apartment manager’s class that provides information and hands-on training to any apartment manager, owner or facility person associated with an apartment complex regardless of their complexes location.
For more information about Clackamas Fire’s Apartment Inspection Program, please visit www.clackamasfire.com/fire-prevention/apartment-inspection-program.
