Kasich wants state to have direct oversight of manufactured homes

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Ohio Gov. John Kasich believes too many people are dying in manufactured homes, and he wants oversight of those homes transferred from an industry-controlled board to the state.

Statistics compiled by the State Fire Marshal’s office 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 dwellings, a rate higher than all neighboring states. Manufactured homes include mobile homes and other types of houses built entirely in factories.

The Republican governor wants the Legislature to give the state direct oversight of manufactured homes, changing the makeup of the Ohio Manufactured Homes Commission and moving it into the Ohio Department of Commerce. That department houses the Fire Marshal’s office.

National fire data show that at least 58 people died in manufactured home fires in Ohio from 2012 to 2016.

By comparison, 30 people died during the same period in neighboring Pennsylvania.

The Manufactured Homes Commission is responsible for licensing mobile home park operators, training manufactured home installers and inspecting new installations.