Short-term rental operators in McCall have less than a month to comply with the city’s newly required safety inspection.
As of last month, just 38% of McCall’s 364 vacation rental properties had passed a mandatory safety inspection required to renew their licenses for next year, according to the McCall Star-News.
A city worker overseeing the licensing program didn’t immediately respond to requests for updated numbers Monday.
“Part of this inspection process is to make it easier for people to say, see the fire extinguisher, to know where the exits are, to get out of the house quickly in the event of an emergency,” said Captain Ryan Garber with the McCall Fire Protection District.
Garber is in charge of overseeing these health and safety inspections.
Requirements include having lighting directing guests to exit points, even if the power is out, keeping any ash in a metal container near the stove or fireplace and having an egress ladder available for any sleeping rooms more than 16 feet above the ground.
Garber said it’s critical to make it as easy as possible for guests to safely evacuate when they’re staying in a strange home.
“In the event of an emergency like that, seconds count, and again, we’re talking about added confusion – alarm going off, smoke in the air,” he said.
Property owners or management companies have until Dec. 31 to complete their inspections in order to operate next year.
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