DCBS Media Release

January 31, 1996
For more information:
Monte Taylor, BCD, 503-373-7542

Oregon reaches milestone in RV safety program

(Portland) Owners and prospective owners of the more than 10,000 recreational vehicles sold to Oregonians each year are safer because of a program that will reach a major milestone Thursday. Officials of the state's Department of Consumer & Business Services (DCBS) will join with representatives of Fleetwood Travel Trailers of Oregon and Spencer's RV Center, in Portland, to commemorate the 250,000th RV to receive a "state seal" Insignia of Compliance. The insignia confirms that the manufacturer meets state safety standards for RV construction.

"Oregon ranks among the top ten states in RV production," says Joe Brewer, administrator of DCBS' Building Codes Division. "We've developed an excellent partnership with the registered manufacturers and dealers who make and sell RVs in this state, to ensure that buyers can rely on the basic safety and quality of these products. I'm pleased to take this opportunity to congratulate the industry for a job well done."

Oregon statutes specify that RVs manufactured for sale within this state must meet construction and safety standards for plumbing, heating, and electrical equipment. The statutes also require standards for thermal, fire, and life safety equipment and materials, and for structural and transportation equipment and construction.

State officials issued the very first Insignia of Compliance to an RV manufacturer in 1969. Any RV manufactured within the last five years and offered for sale within Oregon must bear the insignia, which all rental or lease units manufactured after September 1, 1969, must also display.

There are approximately 20 registered RV manufacturers and converters located in Oregon. An additional 130 registered manufacturers ship RVs into the state, while a network of approximately 180 dealers sells them.

In order for their products to qualify for the Insignia of Compliance, RV manufacturers must register with the Building Codes Division, submit a quality assurance manual and plans outlining all construction procedures, and pass an in-plant certification inspection.

Of the 11,994 insignias issued nationwide in 1994, 6,600 went to Oregon manufacturers. Fleetwood Travel Trailers purchased 4,000 of those.

At an award ceremony at Spencer's RV in Portland on February 1, Building Codes Administrator Brewer presented Fleetwood officials with a plaque commemorating the 250,000th insignia, noting that Fleetwood "...symbolizes the improvements made by the recreational vehicle industry to build quality RVs for the people in the Northwest."