06/26/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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In response to a question from Mr. Bradley, Mr. Wick said the written instructions should be posted on the wall so new tenants will be aware of how the smoke detector properly works. He said smoke detectors . need to be cleaned at least once a year; beeping will occur if the smoke detector is dirty or battery is going dead. Without instruc- tions, the tenant may not know how to deal with the problem. Mr. Obie said he was empathetic with the cost of housing and attendent problems of being a landlord. However, it seemed to him the maj or question was: What is the value of a human life? Mayor Keller agreed with Mr. Obie, saying this is an opportunity and responsibility for Council to adopt, at least in concept, noting changes could be made later. He recognized the cost involved, but thought it was incidental to the consideration of saving lives. He noted Council was concerned with housing costs, but it was difficult because it seemed everything Council did affected costs in the commu- ni ty . However, those actions are either to protect or enhance the livability for the citizens. C.B. 1703--Concerning the fire prevention code; amending Sections 8.190 and 8.200 of the Code, 1971; and declaring an emergency was read by council bill number and title only, there being no Councilor present requesting it be read in full. Mr. Hamel moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the Council, and that enactment be considered at this -- time. With concurrence of Mr. Hamel and Mr. Bradley, the three amend- ments offered by Betty Niven will be incorporated in the ordinance. Mr. Williams moved, seconded by Mr. Bradley, to amend the motion to delete the requirement of sprinkling on existing systems in dwelling structures. Mr. Williams said he felt if the City were going to depart from the standard code, Council had an obligation to show why, and he felt that argument simply had not been made. He questioned how many lives and how much money per life is involved, saying he never had gotten an answer. He felt the people who wrote the national codes were far more expert and adept than City Council about sprinkling systems. Mr. Delay was surprised Mr. Williams would say the City should defer to anonymous national standards when there are unique situations existing in Eugene. He noted unanimous support from the staff and the firefighters' union, and preferred to defer to an excellent group of firefighters. Vote was taken on the amendment to the motion which failed with Williams and Hamel voting aye; Bradley, Haws, Delay, Lieuallen, - Obie, and Smith voting no. 6/26/78--6 "'0 I