(Columbus, Oh.)-Ohio's Governor wants the oversight of manufactured homes transferred from an industry-controlled board to the state. Ohio Gov. John Kasich wants the legislature to give the state direct oversight of manufactured homes.
Kasich's budget bill proposal includes a measure to have the current group responsible for trailer inspections, the Ohio Manufactured Homes Commission, to be rolled into the Department of Commerce.
The State Fire Marshal's Office has released statistics that show people living in manufactured homes in Ohio are four times more likely to perish in a fire than those living in other types of homes. An estimated 900,000 Ohioans live in a mobile home.
Ohio Firefighters report that mobile homes in rural areas often do not have a fire hydrant nearby, limiting their access to water supplies at the scene of a blaze. Mobile homes built in the 1970s and 80s, are primarily constructed of lightweight steel leaving them particularly vulnerable to fire. National fire data show at least 58 people have died in manufactured home fires in Ohio between 2012 to 2016.
Ohio does have a law requiring homes to have fire alarms and smoke detectors but that law doesn't apply to structures built before 2006.