Many of Kalama’s commercial and multi-family buildings have not received fire inspections for at least two years, but that’s about to change, according to city officials.
The City Council adopted a fire inspection fee ordinance last week in hopes of beginning routine inspections on existing buildings by the New Year.
Starting Nov. 1, building owners will pay a base rate of $50 and additional charges, which could total several hundred dollars depending on the size and complexity of their buildings. The fee cover the initial inspection and a followup inspection, if needed. Additional follow-up inspections will be billed at $100 an hour.
For the past two years, the city has contracted with a private company to inspect new commercial and residential buildings that must get fire permits. But it needs more money to inspect existing buildings, City Administrator Adam Smee said.
Without inspections, it’s not possible to know whether buildings are safe, Smee said. “We walk a fine line of trying to ensure public safety and how much assurance should the government have that everyone is safe inside their own home.”
It’s up to each jurisdiction to set guidelines for when fire inspections should be done. Unless a building’s size, structure or contents have been changed — for example, it now stores hazardous chemicals — there isn’t much pressure to inspect a building regularly, said Dan Johnson, state chief deputy fire marshal.