Structure fires happen every day across the United States. The National level data providing us those statistics goes back decades and while the trend on fires has been decreasing in the period measured 2008-2017, one trend hasn’t. While overall fires have decreased, unfortunately the trending number of fire deaths has increased 9.6 percent. As a fire department, we can’t ignore the statistics, we know fires are going to happen, but through inspections and preplanning structures within the community we can improve the odds of survival.
Over the course of the last year the Fredericktown Community Fire District has worked diligently throughout the community in providing fire safety inspections of businesses and areas where required per the laws applicable within the State of Ohio. Why is this so important to residents of our community and those passing through? In short, the answer is that inspections identify potential problems, fire hazards, and meet statutory requirements. Inspections are an integral part of a successful fire prevention program, something that the FCFD strives to achieve at every opportunity possible.
Inspections don’t just prevent fire death and injury; a comprehensive fire inspection looks at many safety facets. Exits, lights, signage, dimensions, container sizes, heights of stored materials, safety barriers, and so much more. On a recent motor vehicle crash, what came in as oil on the roadway could have been far worse if appropriate safety devices weren’t in place. Fire code places requirements for vehicle impact protection, something that undoubtedly saved the life of a driver on Saturday who struck a barrier surrounding a large propane tank in Fredericktown.
While some may immediately have negative connotations about inspections, and envision enormous fines and the closing of businesses, nothing could be further from the truth. By far, the largest part of the inspection tends to lean toward educating the public about the fire code, why there are requirements, and providing answers and options on how to become compliant. In a great majority of our inspections this year, more time is spent on the educational piece and communicating with members of the community than it takes to actually complete the inspection. Furthermore, a great majority of items that are found in our inspections are able to be fixed by the owner or tenant at little to no cost such as moving items from in front of a door or panel, replacing a cord with a surge protector, putting an outlet cover on, changing how materials and goods are stored, and general housekeeping.
How important is the enforcement of the Ohio Fire Code and conducting inspections? Sadly, these rules exist in many cases because of injuries or fatalities that have happened over the course of time. Time and time again historical fires and incidents around the United States have played a key role in writing or updating of fire codes. These rules are written in the blood of civilians and firefighters with the goal of preventing it from ever happening again. Completion of inspections to ensure compliance and making corrections has the potential to reduce the chances of injury or death to civilians and firefighters.
The Ohio Fire Code consists of over 500 pages of information that are referenced in the process of construction, inspections, and daily operation, and are the law. In your daily life, so many things have been affected by these codes and go almost completely unnoticed. The gas station you stopped at, your office entrance door, lighting, how a door opens or operates at your child’s school, how wide an aisle must be in a conference room, signage on a door, where sprinklers are located, exits, and thousands more. When all applicable codes are complied with and enforced it provides a safer environment where known hazards have been mitigated.
The FCFD has a total of seven Certified Fire Safety Inspectors (CFSI) that underwent a significant initial State of Ohio certification to understand and be able to apply codes within Ohio. Along with certification, inspectors must maintain continuing education requirements to remain credentialed. There are no fees assessed by the FCFD to conduct a fire inspection.
