SPOKANE, Wash. — As families work to clear their properties after the Spokane fires, asbestos testing requirements can pose a significant obstacle. In many cases, the tests costs thousands of dollars and can take months to get results back. Now, the Spokane City Council is considering a resolution that would make the tests free.
If the resolution passes, people whose insurance doesn’t cover asbestos testing can get it paid for by the city. If people have already had the testing done, they could be reimbursed up to $1,600.
“We have been in constant communication with those who were impacted by the fires, and one of our priorities has been trying to find kind of what their unmet needs are — whether that’s between what their insurance isn’t paying for, what we can’t cover at the state level with those funds — and identifying where those needs are,” said Erin Hut, the city’s communications director.
The services would only be available for people who lost their homes in the Old Trails Fire.
People can already request testing or reimbursement through an online form. Once someone fills out the form, the city will work with asbestos contractors to schedule the test. The city says 20 people have already applied since the form opened on Friday.
If the resolution is approved by the council, these requests will be sent off to contractors weekly, but the city does not have an exact turnaround time. How fast the results come back could depend on which contractor does the test and which lab the samples are sent to.
The city says state funds from the Department of Commerce will cover some of the costs, or it will use money donated to the Home Starts Here fund.
A final vote on the resolution will happen at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
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