The Montgomery County Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee gave a clearer picture of the type of window guards that could be required in some housing units.
In a meeting on Monday, the committee said that the window guards, if approved, would be mandated in multistory and multiunit rentals where children under the age of 10 live.
“I think It’s confused people,” said Council President Tom Hucker, who introduced the bill. “We’ve all seen outside security bars, or what people call burglar bars, that are iron and affixed to the masonry on the outside of the building.”
But those expensive, permanent fixtures, which have to be installed by professionals, are not the guards his bill is proposing.
“These are flimsy little things that are just strong enough to keep a toddler from falling out, but they can be installed with a screwdriver by any adult,” said Hucker.
His recommended window guards would be easily removeable for a quick departure in an emergency, and are no more difficult to install than a smoke detector.
The guards range in price from $25 to $99 dollars, according to committee research documents.
The committee still has a lot of issues to sort out on the bill, including details of enactment and proper notification to tenants. They asked for some clarifications and recommendations and will continue the discussion in a future session.
