Your kids love them, but they can turn out to be a parent's worst nightmare.

A KIRO Team 7 investigation uncovers questionable operation of inflatable rides.

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Video: Ride Operators Found Not Following Rules

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Kyle Moore spent months investigating these rides and he tells you what you need to know before sending your children down the slide.

They are bright, colorful and bring joy to children's hearts.

With names such as Bouncy House and Titanic, these inflatable amusement rides have popped up all across Western Washington.

But a KIRO Team 7 Investigation has uncovered the hidden dangers you need to know before putting children on these slides.

In July, medical crews rushed to the Tulalip Reservation when a giant titanic slide collapsed, injuring nine children.

"They just said it fell down. The slide fell down, and everybody got hurt," said Leota Pablo.

Tribal police immediately seized the ride and began a several month investigation.

What they discovered surprised them.

"This ride has specific safety rules right in front of you to tell you how to operate and they were simply ignored," said Jay A. Goss, Tulalip Police Chief.

SAFETY INFORMATION The state advises parents to inspect the rides for a current L&I-issued decal, which should be attached to the ride. Also check for the ride's safety instructions, which describe how many operators need to be watching the ride and how many children can be on the inflatable ride at one time. If you have any questions, you go to L&I's Web site on amusement rides.

The investigation revealed the giant Titanic slide was not properly tied down. Two thousand pounds of sandbags needed to hold the slide down were missing.

Also, the ride was overloaded, with nine children when only four are permitted on at one time.

And the woman supervising the slide...

"The employee of the company had no specific training in operating this ride. She came from a temporary company and was advised 'Here is the ride. Watch the kids go on,' and that was her training," said Ron Langley of the Department of Labor and Industries.

State officials admit they don't even know how many accidents occur every year on these inflatable rides.

Labor and Industries officials suspect scores more go unreported.

This year, just three accidents reports were filed with the state Department of Labor and Industries. Last year, there were six.

Once a year, state law requires all rides to be inspected for mechanical and electrical safety by government certified private inspectors.

Rides are required to display current permits, but the state's control ends there.

It's up to ride operators and their insurance companies to police themselves.

But are the laws always followed?

KIRO 7 cameras were at a fundraiser when a blow-up elephant and castle deflated with kids still inside.

Workers said the ride malfunctioned because the blowers lost power.

Our cameras caught what appears to be orange and yellow extension cords for power.

State law forbids the use of extension cords.

Amusement ride executives that operate these large slides worry that companies that fail to follow the proper rules are giving the industry a black eye.

But the state has little or no power to force ride operators to follow the rules, and that has many worried.

The state say there is one thing parents can do to protect their children. They need to make sure the ride has a current orange approval sticker.

"You need to be the ultimate inspector. When you see a ride and plan to ride on it or send in your kids, the first thing to do is to make sure it has one of these does it have a Labor and Industries sticker on it," said Ron Langley Department of Labor & Industries.

At least one Washington state senator is working on a bill to change the current way rides are monitored.

But until then, when your kids jump on these slides, their safety is up in the air.

The Tulalip police have forwarded their slide collapse investigation to Snohomish County prosecutors.

Prosecutors are still deciding whether to file reckless endangerment charges against the SeaTac company that owns and operates the slide.