The members of the Waynesboro chapter of Virginia Organizing have been following the story of the recent devastating fire at the Park Villa Station apartment complex with concern.
After reaching out to the fire marshal to confirm certain facts, he explained that sprinkler systems are not required in apartment buildings with one or two stories.
As the news media has reported, the fire was apparently started by overloaded extension cords and other electrical use errors. Overtaxing extension cords is unfortunately a fairly common mistake and can cause devastating results, as this fire has proven.
However, the fire marshal emphasized that although this tragedy did not result in any injuries or deaths, which we can be grateful for, too many residents did not have renters’ insurance to cover their belongings. The insurance that a landord carries only covers the damage to the building itself and not the contents of individual apartments. Undeniably, the cost of renters’ insurance may be yet another financial blow to renters who are already struggling but it is the only way to recover from such a loss.
A quick Google search found that renters’ insurance may be had in Virginia for as low as $7 per month, which seems fairly reasonable considering the alternatives.
It would be wonderful if we helped our neighbors in need by saying yes to funding things like rental inspection programs that might spot and repair future tragedies like this fire before they happened?
It is Christmas and everyone deserves a safe, warm place from which to contemplate the good in the world.
Letter from Connie Wright-Zink/Middlebrook
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