HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - October 19, 1988 (71)r -
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
TO : THE CITY (:OUNC I L COUNCIL MEETING DATE: Oct- 19, 1988
FROM: THE CITY MANAG'ER'S OFFICE
SUBJECT: REPORT ON FIRE INSPECi'ION PROGRAM
RF NDE'. ACTION_
The purpose of this report is to inform the Council, and therefore,
there is no required action by Council.
BACKGROUND:
At the request, of the City Council the Fire Chief will present a report
of the Fire Departments Fire Inspection Program. The attached materials
provide an overview of the program on which the Chief will make his report.
Council Communication prepared by,
Larry Hughes, Fire Chief
LODI FIRE DEPARTMENT
FIRE INSPECTION PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The responsibility for the fire inspec.t•lon of occupancies
in the City of Lodi will be divided between the Fire
Prevention Bureau, Suppression Personnel and the Business
Owner as follows:
TYPES OF INSPECTIONS TO BE CONDUCTED AND/OR OCCUPANCIES TO BE
INSPECTED
I_ Fire Prevention Bureau
a) Health Care Facilities
b) Schools
c) Certificate of Occupancy
d) _1"� Busines;3es
e) Selected Occupancies (e.g. auto body shops)
f) Special Hazard Occupancies
2. Suppression Personnel
a) Apartments, Hotels & Motels
b) Retail Occupancies
c) Selected Assembly Occupancies
3_ Business Owners
Owper�s of low risk businesges yil� be skgli touter
a ge .f inspection program , W is will a ow tie
business to conduct its' own inspection and report
the results to the Fire Prevention Bureau. This
program is followed up with random check inspections
by fire personnel -
PERSONNEL INVOLVEMENT
1. Fire Prevention Bureau Proqram
a) Fire Marshall
Responsible for the management and supervision
of all personnel assigned to the Fire Prevention
Bureau and for the development and supervision
of all fire prevention programs. This person
also does plan checking, inspections of new and
existing occupancies and other related work i%wok„_
required.
b) Fire Inspector
Does inspections of new„ and existing occupancies
and other work as required. This person also
assist citizens with complaints and conducts
follow-up inspections- The C i t i e s weed
abatement program is carried out by this person.
s "lli f t. i nspectors
,hese personnel are, Fire Suppression;err�,>nnr; 1
wP)o are assigned to the fire prevention i.t2rP��u
on specific dates ea, -,-h m, nth while they are (in
duty. They conduct. inspections of new ar,c_3
existing occupancies and, do follow-up
inspections and ,i;s�oer citizen complaints. etc.
d ) Truck Company Pt=rsc>nnel
'I'hese personnel do fallow -up inspections of the
original inspections made by other personnel,
where the type of inspection necessary only
requires recognition of the correction of a
problem.
e) Bureau Administrative Clerk
Provides clerical support to all programs.
coordinates hheoodunet000prgr, ulp 1 ducainprgr
am
coordinates the weed at)atement programs
paperwork, does data entry and management,
and other work as required.
2. Suppression Personnel Program
a) Engine Company Personne?.
These personnel will be inspecting all Class "B"
occupancies beginning in January 1989. They
are presently inspecting all apartments, hotels
and motels in the city.
b) Truck Company Personnel
These personnel now do all call back ( follow-
up) inspections and will continue to do this
work behind the engine companies as well as what
they presently are doing.
c) Battalion Chief
In addition to the supervision of the
suppression personnel in their prevention work,
these personnel will be doing night spot checks
of certain assembly buildings. Due to the
required training, we do not have a starting
date for this program at, this time.
d) Bureau Administrative Clerk
( provides same services as noted before
3. Self -Inspection Program
a) Fire Marshal l
Responsible for the development and
implementation of the program as well as the
coordination of it once it is operative-
bi Fire Inspector
Will. conduct random spot checks of business
involved in the program, respond to --poeFt ions
from businesses. make inspections of those
businesses not returning an inspection form and
assist with the education of the bu:ii ness
community z-egarding the program_
c) Shift Inspector
( same ac Fire. Inspector }
d) Truck Companies
( same as Fire Inspector )
e) Bureau Administrative Clerk
Will provide clerical. support, which will
include handling all mailing and data
processing.
f) Business Owner
These people will be asked to become involved
in the program which will require them to
inspect their own business, fill out a form and
return it to the fire department.
PROJECTED WORKLOAD
The, projected workload which this program will place on
the department is as follows and is based on figures which
were compiled in early 1988.
TOTAL
TYPE OF OCCUPANCY # IN CITY FREQ. INSPECTIONS
Public Assemblies
129
1/year
1.29
Hospitals, Conv. Homes.
Other Licensed Facilities,
Special. Hazard, etc.
87
2/.,year
174
Special Knowledge Req.
76
21yeat,
152
Hotels, Motels, Apts.
465
1/year
465
Company Inspections
( "B" Occupancies )
921
1/year
921.
Self Inspections
703
1/year
703
total
2544
It is well established in fire prevention inspection
work that each inspection will require from 1 to 4 follow-up
inspections before compliance is reached. With this in mind
it. is easily seen .hat we are faced with somewhere between
a minimum of 2544 inspections and a maximum of 10,176. With
this in mind we have stepped back and e=ra.luated the need for
inspections in certain occupancies and have decided to seek
quality inspection work in lieu of qua i ty. Our Foal is tc
concentrate on the high .life hazard and high potential fire
loss occupancies initially and to inspect all other
occupancies on a time avnilable hasiR _
ASSEMBLY pCCUPANCIES 129
ELF-INSP*CTION 7pS
PREVENTION BUREAU 87
SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE 76
FELS-MpTELS-AWTS 465
COMPANY INSPECTION 921
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