8 Children Die in Fire in Building with Code Violations
Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching Advanced Legal Aspects of Code Enforcement for Property Maintenance Inspectors for the Missouri Association of Code Enforcement at Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Today I read the headlines about the 8 children killed in a fire in a building in Chicago with code violations. The owner was already in court for this building that the Chicago Sun-Times said was without working smoke detectors. I remember telling the inspectors yesterday that they save lives by doing their jobs and that rental inspection programs are a key part of enforcement. It is just so sad that this loss of life happens when these tragedies can be prevented yet some landlords resist spending the money necessary to ensure their buildings are safe. In Illinois we have tried to get legislation passed so that non-home rule communities can license landlords but the proposed bills always die because of opposition by those who do not care enough about the safety of the public. What a waste of young lives.
