My name is Matt Russell. I have served S.E. Thurston’s citizens for almost two decades. I am now the Assistant Fire Marshal for the SE Thurston Fire Authority. I know that many of our businesses are not used to having yearly fire inspections performed and I wanted to take this opportunity to address some key points and give a bit of background.
We used to perform basic fire inspections. The fire engine would show up every year or so and do a quick walk-through of your business. We would point out small but important issues like getting your fire extinguishers serviced annually, or make sure you have your address posted. These were basic fire/life safety visits.
During the downturn in the economy during 2008-2012, you, and your fire department were significantly affected. We were not able to do these important but simple fire/life safety visits anymore due to increased call volume, staffing, budgets cuts, layoffs, and just not having enough time.
Over the last couple years, we have been working on re-establishing a process to start fire inspections again. Between looking at different software companies and processes, gaining required certifications, and getting some hands-on experience from other jurisdictions, we are now ready to start coming back out and saying hi to everyone.
The goal and intent of fire inspections is to help keep you, your employees, and your customers safe from fire. You may be thinking that “there really aren’t that many fires anymore.” You’re right. While it is true that there are not nearly as many fires as there used to be, it is because of an absolute direct result of having and enforcing the fire and life/safety codes. With the better staffing, equipment, and technology that we now have, and the
improvements to products and processes that make things more resistant to fire, the vast majority of our fires stay small enough long enough so that we can get them put out before they turn into large fires that make the news.
Performing fire inspections is an important piece of the fire service to help keep you safe. It also helps keep your firefighters and your pocketbook safe. The better we are able to perform and document fire inspections, the better our fire insurance rating will be. This will have a direct result in having your fire insurance rates drop, and will help us help you.
Currently, unlike many other departments or cities, we will not be charging you for the fire inspections. It’s just an opportunity for us to try and find any problems that you may not know about and get them fixed before a fire breaks out.
So even though we haven’t done any inspections over the last several years, don’t be surprised when I show up and need to look in every nook and cranny of your building. I just want to help keep you safe!
In an effort to be proactive, here is a list of common fire code violations. Not all of them will apply to your specific business, but it will give you a good idea of the types of things I will be looking to educate and work with you on.