Not once in the past year, according to assistant state fire marshal Shawn Goodell.
Throughout the discussion leading up to the passage of the ordinance, Stowe Fire Department chief Scott Reeves provided anecdotes of firefighters waiting hours in emergencies due to absentee landlords and finding numerous fire safety violations in rental properties that led to new regulations.
Those fire safety violations, according to Goodell, are mostly reported by visitors who notice that something is amiss with a smoke alarm, furnace or fireplace. Another common issue is a lack of the necessary number of egress windows, which provide a means of emergency exit in the case of fire.
A coalition of property managers and rental owners that opposed the ordinance expressed fears of being fined for not complying with the ordinance, though the Stowe Selectboard and town administration emphasized a preference for working with rental owners before taking punitive action.
Rental owners expressed similar concerns about committing fire safety violations without being aware of exactly what those laws were, but Goodell also emphasized that the department prefers to work with rental owners rather than penalizing them.
The Department of Public Safety’s division of fire safety doesn’t keep track of the number of fire safety violations it records in any single town, Goodell said, but described there being a “fair” number that he responded to in Stowe, which often come in spates and are mostly reported by the renters of short-term rentals.
The division sets specific deadlines for addressing fire safety needs that rental owners must meet.
“Our main goal is to work with them to become compliant,” Goodell said. Rental owners have been reaching out to Goodell more frequently in the wake of the ordinance’s passage, he said.
“We’re also working on coming up with a more comprehensive educational initiative, hopefully soon, to educate (short-term rental) operators,” Goodell said.
Rental owners and renters can learn more about Vermont’s fire safety regulations at bit.ly/3IGoURb.
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