Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager, 509.625.7773
Friday, September 6, 2019 at 10:50 a.m.
Updated: 9/11/2019
After Zach Harper’s beloved collie mix Hank unexpectedly died by electrocution in February he wanted to know why. Hours went into researching what caused his four-legged companion to collapse on a downtown sidewalk that winter day. The answer was a faulty electrical de-icing system. It was an isolated incident and preventable.
In response to this tragic incident, Council Member Breean Beggs sponsored the “Hank’s Law” ordinance requiring all electric snow melting equipment on public and private sidewalks be upgraded to include ground-fault protection to increase safety. In addition, a registration program will be implemented allowing the City to maintain a database of locations of outdoor electric de-icing and snow melting equipment and establish a monitoring program.
Cold winter days are just around the corner and Hank’s Law was approved by City Council. Citizens and building manager can schedule a free safety inspection with the City by calling 509.625.6300 to assess and register current or planned deicing and snow melting equipment. The program will track outdated and current equipment in the hopes of preventing another tragic loss.
For more information, please visit our Fixed Outdoor Electric Deicing and Snow-Melting Equipment page.
