February 9, 2016
From: Laure Quinlivan, Former Cincinnati Council Member, and author of city legislation creating the Cincinnati Safe Student Housing program and website.
Chair Manning, Vice Chair Patton, Ranking Member Cafaro and members of the Senate Transportation, Commerce and Labor Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of Senate Bill 205.
As you may know, landlords of off campus housing near college campuses do not always invest in safety features. Many of their tenants are college students who, quite frankly, don’t think much about their safety when choosing an off campus apartment.
Senate Bill 205 will require landlords to provide a fire escape for units on the third story of any converted single family home, unless there is a sprinkler system. This law will safe lives.
As a Cincinnati Council Member in 2013, I was approached by parents whose children died in an off campus fire near University of Cincinnati. The deaths of Chad Kohls and Ellen Garner were preventable. The third floor room they were sleeping in when a fire broke out below had one window, but it was blocked by an installed air conditioner.
We changed the law in Cincinnati to prevent the blockage of fire escape windows, and require the newer technology photoelectric smoke detectors in all apartment units.
But the grieving parents pointed out we still have a big problem – even if escape windows are not blocked, residents of third story units will likely die from their fall or jump, if there is no ladder installed at that window.
Our multidisciplinary team at the City working on the Cincinnati Safe Student Housing program included representatives from law, fire, police and building inspectors, as well as local landlords, student leaders, and a lobbyist for landlords. We wanted a solution that would work in the real world. The team agreed that the fire escape ladder requirement should come from Ohio, and not overly burden landlords.
I’m grateful to Senators Bill Beagle and Peggy Lehner and Rep. Rick Perales, for taking on this issueand buildingsupport for Senate Bill 205. Your vote to change Ohio law will save lives. The young people who died in the UC fire are remembered on our website.
Laure Quinlivan, 513-520-4809 cell
Small Business Owner and Former Cincinnati Council Member
3624 Kroger Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45226