After a fire killed 36 people at an Oakland warehouse and artists’ collective known as the ‘Ghost Ship’ on Friday, the union representing Oakland and Alameda County firefighters has criticized the city for not having enough fire inspectors. An Alameda County civil grand jury report from 2014 shows the fire department failed to inspect over one-third of the city’s 11,000 commercial properties, and couldn’t gain access to a quarter of those they were sent to inspect. A recent staffing report shows four fire inspector positions, while funded, remain unfilled. Forum discusses the issues surrounding fire inspection in light of the deadly Ghost Ship fire.
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