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-First of all, thank you for being here,
members of the press.
We're very excited to sort of present
and explain what we're trying to do here in Seattle.
It's -- of course it's an emergency legislation.
I'll let the Councilmembers Kettle and Morales
speak to that a little bit.
I do want to thank both of them for being here
and for making sure
that the council unanimously passed this urgent
public safety issue for our community.
So we're pleased to announce here today
we'll be signing this public safety legislation
that will basically expedite the demolition and remediation
of dangerous vacant buildings in Seattle.
We know very recently why this is so important.
I think all of us are aware that even this week in Ravenna,
we had a fire in an abandoned building
that killed one person and injured three others.
These kinds of tragedies demonstrate to us
how urgent and necessary this bill is.
Unsafe, vacant buildings can pose real safety hazards
to our first responders and the surrounding communities
and the people that may try to live within these buildings
and they threaten the health and safety
of everyone in all of these neighborhoods.
These unmaintained buildings can be opportunities
for unauthorized trespassing and arson and drug use
and other illegal behavior that endanger, again,
residents and our first responders.
And we realize they could be sort of an attraction to those
that may not have the right safeguards in their lives
to protect themselves.
This city must be able to act swiftly to abate
and remediate these risks.
And this legislation is designed to do exactly that,
to give the Seattle Fire Department a new tool
to take quick action to remedy or demolish,
again, dangerous and derelict buildings.
Our fire department has made us aware
that there are over 40 buildings that are potentially unsafe
and pose danger to life or property.
Fires related to vacant buildings
have surged in recent years with 77 fires
and vacant buildings in 2021, 91 fires in 2022,
and 130 fires in 2023.
And again, I mentioned that three people died
in vacant building fires this year.
So we're not trending in the right direction.
And again, this is what this legislation is designed to do.
Combined with our legislation last year
to strengthen the enforcement of the city's
Vacant Building Monitoring Program,
we're taking urgent action to make sure
that our unoccupied buildings do not become public safety risks.
And with that,
I'll let Chief Harold Scoggins discuss more details
of this legislation
and I look forward to the remarks and words
shared by Councilmembers Kettle and Morales.
Chief Scoggins.
-Thank you, sir.
So good afternoon.
I'm Harold Scoggins, fire chief of the Seattle Fire Department.
You know, I want to lead with a thank you
to Mayor Harrell for his leadership
in prioritizing the safety of the public
and of our firefighters.
That's so important.
Your continued support of the fire department's
efforts towards improving safety within our department
and the community is appreciated by all
of our Seattle firefighters and all of our professional staff.
So thank you.
Councilmember Kettle and Councilmember Morales,
thank you for co-sponsoring this very important legislation.
On behalf of the entire Seattle Fire Department,
I extend my gratitude to each one of you
and to the full council
for unanimously passing this important bill.
While we know derelict buildings are unsightly for neighborhoods,
it goes much beyond this in regards to safety.
When buildings remain vacant and become derelict,
they present many challenges for firefighters
when we respond to these locations.
Our firefighters have extensive training
on responding to building fires.
But when the structure is derelict,
there's often holes in the floors,
stairwells are often missing, structure instability,
and other hazardous conditions often exist.
These are the unknowns that heighten threat to our safety.
Fire departments across the nation
continue to raise concerns with leaving buildings
in a derelict condition.
Seattle is not alone in this.
The dangers of these buildings present
have tragically resulted in the death
of firefighters and community members around the nation.
A harrowing example is a fire that occurred in 2022,
in Baltimore,
where three firefighters were killed
while on scene of a second alarm fire in an abandoned town hall.
The interior of the structure had collapsed
while they were inside fighting the fire.
And just this week in Seattle,
we have responded to three fires in vacant buildings,
some of which were in a derelict condition.
On June 4, at around 4:00 AM,
we responded to a second alarm fire in a vacant structure
in the Ravenna neighborhood.
The structure had experienced a fire back on May 8,
just about one month ago,
while occupied with tenants and it has since been vacant.
The building was not in a derelict condition
and the property owner did take the proper steps to board it up,
so it was not yet on the fire department's dangerous
or derelict building list.
Unfortunately, people still figured out a way
to trespass on the property.
This fire sadly resulted in the death of a woman
who was inside at the time the fire broke out.
It should also be noted
that a person also jumped out of the fourth-floor window
and the firefighters did do three amazing rescues
on the structure.
Later that morning, on that same day,
we responded to the 1300 block of Northeast 66th Street
for a small fire in another vacant building.
And just last night, on June 6,
we responded to a derelict duplex
in the Leschi neighborhood.
The fire was primarily located in the basement
and there were fortunately no injuries.
A final example is the massive three alarm fire
that occurred on January 1st,
of this year in the First Hill neighborhood.
The fire caused the roof of the derelict structure to collapse,
and it spread to the adjacent apartment building,
displacing all residents in those units.
And if you remember that morning,
it was a very cold morning on New Year's.
Roads in the areas were closed for weeks
while the four-story building was being demolished.
This new legislation amends the fire code
and gives myself and the fire marshal the ability to order
and complete remediation or demolition
of a dangerous, vacant, and derelict building.
Our goal at the Fire Prevention Division is to always make
sure an attempt is made to work with the property owners
towards demolition when the building becomes derelict,
vacant, and irreparable.
But when we are presented with the extreme circumstances
of a building that remains derelict
and has had numerous responses from the fire department
to the location, we can now take action if there's
an imminent risk to safety of firefighters and the public.
The data speaks for itself,
as the mayor mentioned.
In 2021, we had 71 of these fires in derelict buildings.
In 2022, we had 91.
And in 2023 we had 130 of these fires.
And so far to date,
in 2024, we have had 35 fires in derelict buildings.
In addition to fire responses,
we regularly respond to vacant structures
for burst water pipes, and also for medical responses.
I am confident that this is a step in the right direction.
This legislation provides us with the new tool
for our toolbox to continue prioritizing the safety
of the community and the safety of our firefighters.
And I want to thank once again, Mayor Harrell,
for his ongoing support
of the Seattle Fire Department and Councilmember Kettle
and Councilmember Morales for their co-sponsoring
this legislation.
Next, I would like to introduce Councilmember Kettle.
-Thank you. It was good. -All right.
-First, good afternoon.
Want to say thank you to Fire Station 25, a beautiful station.
Something to be proud of, Chief Scoggins.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
in January, I took my oath of office.
That day I committed to creating a safe base for our community.
I'm happy to report
that the city council voted unanimously
to pass this legislation as our commitment
to protect our firefighters, to protect our neighbors,
and to address the permissive environment
that underlines our public safety challenges.
Again, our commitment to the firefighters, our neighbors,
and to address the permissive environment.
These challenges are constant.
As mentioned, there was a fire in the vacant building
on Roosevelt on the day that this bill was passed,
where one individual was killed and three were injured.
In the last year, there were 130 fires
in vacant buildings in three deaths.
Unauthorized access and trespassing leads, oftentimes,
to these fires
and our firefighters are being put at risk.
The inability to abate
or even demolish these hazard has contributed
to this permissive environment that I speak of.
I've been working closely with Mayor Harrell and his team,
Chief Scoggins and his team as well,
to make sure that this legislation will help
the fire department deal with these buildings
that pose an immediate threat to our city.
Buildings like the one at 63rd and Roosevelt.
This is the second time as mentioned,
that this building has caught fire within a month.
And this new authority will allow chief to move faster
and make sure these unsafe buildings like this are secured.
And as he said the other day,
put a period at the end of that sentence.
We will now also be able to recruit the cost
of the abatement of these buildings,
reducing the cost to the city.
Our committee was very thoughtful in our consideration
of this legislation
and I like to thank Vice Chair Saka for his insightful
and suggestions on the bill
with our work with the city attorney's office.
As you can imagine, this is very complex.
And I would like to finally thank my co-sponsor,
Councilmember Morales,
whose District 2 is particularly affected
by these vacant buildings.
And as chair of the Land Use Committee
is going to be an important part partner
as we move forward to deal with the vacant building problem
that we have in our city.
At the end of the day, it's about public service,
so thank you to the firefighters,
particularly here in Fire Station 25
for putting on the uniform.
And thank you for answering the calls.
And I hope this bill demonstrates our commitment
to protecting firefighters and protecting our neighborhoods.
Thank you very much. Chief, thank you.
Mr. Mayor, thank you. Councilmember Morales.
-Thanks. Thank you. Not the tall one of the group.
Thank you very much, Councilmember Kettle.
I do want to thank Fire Chief Scoggins
and thank the mayor for working with us on this legislation.
And thanks to everyone for being here.
It's good to be here
to finally sign the Vacant Buildings legislation.
As has been mentioned, over the last two years,
District 2 has experienced over 60 fires in derelict buildings.
District 2 includes Yesler Terrace,
the Chinatown International District,
down the Rainier Valley to Rainier Beach.
From the fire at the old Borracchini's Bakery
to the Baskin-Robbins,
to the Burger King, and of course, the Jumbo lot.
All of which are on Rainier Avenue in District 2.
We have been heavily impacted by fires
in vacant buildings in the South end.
And we know that unfortunately people have been losing
their lives in these fires; one in District 2
and as we just heard one the other morning in North Seattle.
These buildings represent a safety risk
to our community members,
to the individuals who may be in or near the buildings,
as well as to our first responders, our firefighters,
and the folks who are trying to keep these buildings safe.
Our city workers who bravely respond to these fires
deserve better from us.
And that's what this legislation is intended to do,
is to make sure that they are protected.
So this legislation marks a turning point.
I'm hardened that we passed this bill,
that it will go into effect immediately
and receive unanimous support from the city council.
I started working with Chief Scoggins
late last year to understand what was happening,
particularly in District 2 because we've had so many fires,
particularly on Rainier Avenue.
And when Councilmember Kettle joined the council,
we got to work immediately to understand from SDCI,
from the chief and from the city attorney,
what power we had
and what we could do to really start to remedy these problems.
So I appreciate the partnership of everybody
who's been involved in crafting this legislation.
I want to thank Councilmember Kettle again.
Thank the mayor and chief Scoggins,
and all of my colleagues on the council
for helping get this critical life-saving legislation passed.
And I am now happy to introduce Ellen Greene
from the First Hill Improvement Association.
Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir.
-Thank you.
-Thank you for having me.
The First Hill Improvement Association is delighted
to be endorsing this legislation.
We want to commend the mayor and the city council
for this decisive action and express our gratitude,
deepest gratitude toward the fire department
for their persistent dedication
in keeping our neighborhoods safe.
Thank you.
There have been many First Hill fires, as well,
as mentioned previously, where people have lost their homes.
Our neighborhood lost vetoes,
and Madison Street was shut down for myriad weeks.
In addition, the Prosch House has been destroyed by fires
and now poses a serious health hazard to our community
with multiple lives lost there already.
But we see four benefits to this new legislation.
First of all, increased safety.
As mentioned, abandoned buildings pose fire hazards,
and especially once they've been lit,
they pose a repeated threat to residents
and our emergency response folks.
So enabling the demolition of these buildings
could reduce the risk of fire and increase safety.
Secondly, we see this as a possibility to decrease crime.
These idle structures pose hot spots
for vandalism and drug use,
which negatively impacts residents as well as
neighboring businesses.
But really it impacts everyone involved.
So by being able to demolish these buildings,
we can eliminate some of these havens for crime.
Third, this will provide an opportunity
for positive development.
So the demolition of now-derelict buildings
can then pave paths to initiate new development
that will benefit neighborhoods and stimulate economic growth,
as well as create positively engaging places.
And finally, we see this as a chance to foster community.
So no doubt a burned down --
or burned building is an eyesore to the community and detracts
from neighborhood appeal.
But being able to remove these buildings
can improve aesthetics of neighborhoods
and create welcoming places to residents and workers,
and visitors in our neighborhoods.
We believe that clean,
well-maintained environments can help facilitate
pride and community as well as
lead to further beautification efforts.
So we're very committed to initiatives like this
that help benefit the people of First Hill
and other neighborhoods.
And we look forward to everything
it will do in terms of creating a safer,
more beautiful and more vibrant Seattle.
Thank you. -Thank you, Ellen.
We're going to do a ceremonial signing here
because we wanted to kick in immediately,
and then we'll take some questions after you
if there are any questions.
So we're going to sign right now.
-Okay. Boom.
If there are any questions,
I'd be more than happy to address any.
And if there's not, we're going to go back to work.
Any questions?
-The 40 buildings, is that list available to the public?
And then we --
to only do four buildings for the rest of this year
because of funding.
Can you explain that a little bit more?
-Sure. Chief, did you take that?
Did you hear the question?
-I didn't hear the first part.
-So the 40 buildings, are those --
can they get a list of those 40 buildings
and the four buildings that we described
we're going to try to address,
is there funding issues associated with that one?
-Sure. -Why only four, I guess.
-Oh, got it. So thank you for the question.
The list is not available to the community.
We're working at various stages with the city attorney's office,
trying to address different issues with those buildings.
So it's not available. We're working through which
buildings are selected to move forward with first.
So we haven't identified that.
My team and I will be meeting next week,
and we'll be ready to move forward next week.
And the funding, thank you to the mayor and the council.
They funded this legislation with, I believe $350,000,
that would get us started.
But our goal is to seek reimbursement.
So if we have to take an action like fencing or boarding up
or even up to demolition,
we will then direct build a property owner.
And if we are not successful there,
we will then be able to lien the property.
All that's important pieces of this legislation.
-And is there a specific criteria for figuring
out those four buildings?
-You know, we're looking at the buildings
that are the most hazardous, the ones
that are imminent threats to public safety, you know?
If we've been there multiple times for a number of fires,
if we've been there for a number of medical emergencies,
one of our fire prevention inspectors actually goes out
and does inspections.
So if the floors, the walls, the ceilings,
the stairwells are missing,
you have just changed the fire dynamics of the structure.
So it becomes unsafe for a firefighter to go in,
let alone for a person to be in there.
Our buildings are constructed with fire and life safety
in mind, with the one-hour drywall,
the two-hour stairwells, the fire and life safety systems.
So once all this is compromised,
you've now changed the fire dynamics of this structure
and it has immediately become unsafe.
So we're evaluating all of those things.
-Thank you, chief. Thank you very much.
And councilmembers, again, thank you very much.
Okay. Everyone have a great day and we're gonna go back to work.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]