Fire Agencies Fall Short in Safety Inspections, By Jondi Gumz

COMMUNITY NEWS Fire Agencies Fall Short in Safety Inspections

By Jondi Gumz

A2019 state law in the wake of the deadly Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland requires fire agencies to annually inspect schools, apartments, hotels, residential care facilities, but locally the job is incomplete, according to an investigation by the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury found shortcomings at all seven of the fire agencies reviewed: • Santa Cruz County Fire: 7 of 85 facilities inspected; 92% uninspected. • City of Santa Cruz: 102 of 382 facilities inspected; 73% uninspected. • Watsonville: 49 of 74 facilities inspected; 35% uninspected. • Central: 105 of 125 facilities inspected, 16% uninspected. • Aptos La Selva: 52 of 62 facilities inspected, 16% uninspected. • Felton: Inspections were ad hoc; no records available.

Another six fire agencies in the county not part of the grand jury’s investigation are subject to the inspection mandate from the state.

“We recommend that the status of these inspections especially those involving public facilities be communicated to the public and that gaps in compliance or the ability to inspect be addressed in the 2021 budgeting cycle,” the grand jury report concluded in a June 25 report.

The grand jury commended the organizational merger of Aptos La Selva and Central fire districts creating a common database, noting this had resulted in “efficiency gains” in” terms of inspections, citations and re-inspections” and a “highly robust inspection and reporting process.”

Aptos La Selva accomplished the highest percentage of inspections in the county in 2019, inspecting all 15 schools and preschools in Aptos.

Of 33 apartments in Aptos, 26 were inspected.

Central inspected all 50 apartments and 36 of 51 schools and preschools.

What surprised the grand jury was the number of facilities that failed inspections.

Of 51 schools in Aptos La Selva and Central, 11 failed or got a correction notice.

“These data highlight the importance that regular inspections be prioritized and performed by the agencies, and the leadership hold agencies accountable for inspections and compliance,” the grand jury concluded.

Here is more detail on the findings:

County Fire: No multi-family apartments were inspected in 2019. The inspection list identified two apartments but the grand jury found nine apartments not on the list. Also, Bradley Elementary School was omitted from the list. Of 64 businesses on the list, only two were inspected in 2019; nine were inspected in 2018.

City of Santa Cruz: Of 36 schools, only 12 were inspected in 2019; five were inspected in 2018. Of 50 hotels, 31 were inspected in 2019 and 24 were inspected in 2018. Of 282 apartments, only 41 were inspected in 2019and 98 were inspected in 2018.

Watsonville: Of 42 apartments, only 29 were inspected in 2019; there were 23 were inspected in 2018. Of nine hotel/ motels, only four were inspected in 2019. One problem was that five hotels were left off the inspection list. So were private preschools.

Scotts Valley: Reported all inspections completed but the grand jury found 30 schools, preschools, private schools, apartments, and hotels advertising for business that were not on the inspection list. Also left off: 1440 Multiversity, a new 377-bed learning center located at the former Bethany College campus. n