County council approves fire safety inspection ordinance

The Clark County council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday that will increase the frequency of fire safety inspections of businesses located in unincorporated areas of the county.

Under the current code, inspectors conduct annual inspections only of businesses that are at a higher risk of catching fire such as schools, medical centers, hotels and motels, as well as manufacturing facilities and other companies that use certain flammable chemicals or materials.

Fire Marshal Jon Dunaway told The Columbian that under the current code only a quarter of businesses in Clark County are inspected. The new ordinance is intended to introduce periodic inspections to all businesses in the unincorporated parts of the county.

“If we don’t inspect them we don’t know (how safe they are),” said Dunaway of the ordinance, which has been three years in the making. “So I think it’s going to provide better safety for the public.”

The frequency of inspections under the new ordinance ranges from every one to three years depending on the type of business. For instance, an accounting office would be inspected less frequently than an auto-repair shop, Dunaway said.

The inspection program will be paid for with annual fees assessed on affected businesses. The fees will range from $150 to $300 depending on the type of business and its square footage. Additional fees will be assessed based on the number of operational permits the business holds.

Dunaway said that because the county isn’t allowed under state law to issue business licenses, there are no numbers showing how many businesses will be affected.

He also said that the new inspections will provide valuable information to first responders attending to incidents at businesses affected by the ordinance.