Shenandoah County’s short-term rental market now includes about 530 properties, permitted or in progress, scattered across mountain hollows, private roads and suburban streets.

Many are likely second homes or vacation properties rather than full-time residences. All of them, when operating legally, have undergone the same step: a single life-safety inspection conducted before their first permit is issued. After that, the county largely steps back.

For retired firefighter John Lilley, that is where the danger begins.

Lilley, who spent years responding to fires before retiring to Fort Valley, says the county’s approach leaves guests unprotected and sends firefighters into preventable risks.

“Shenandoah County is lacking in safety standards, and they're putting lives at risk,” he said. “T

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