New ordinance lets firefighters check vacant houses for hazards

A recently passed city ordinance gives Cleveland firefighters the power to enter vacant homes to assess hazards and place warning signs on the exteriors.

If homeowners or lenders refuse to grant access, building and housing inspectors will obtain a search warrant to go inside. Firefighters will accompany the inspectors when entering the homes, Fire Chief Paul Stubbs said.

The Fire Department had to get a court order to go into the homes before the new ordinance, Stubbs said.

"We didn't have the resources for that," Stubbs said. "This allows us to piggyback off the efforts of building and housing."

Firefighters will stick red and white reflective placards on the exterior, listing the date of last inspection and any interior and exterior hazards. And it will also warn firefighters to battle the fire from outside and warn others to not enter the home.

The inspection and hazard information will be entered into a dispatch system to alert responding firefighters.

The city has thousands of vacant and condemned houses that have become magnets for thieves and arsonists. The legislation provides security for firefighters who may not know about missing floors, collapsed ceilings or any other dangers inside the homes, Safety Director Martin Flask said.

"We don't want them jeopardizing their lives," he said. 
 

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