When Frank Upton became a Columbus firefighter about 26 years ago, he was fighting fires almost daily.
Now, thanks to fire education and prevention, there are rookie firefighters who haven”t fought a fire in two or three years, said Columbus Fire Marshal Todd Weathers.
City firefighters have been revving up education efforts this week for fire prevention week, which coincides with the first full week of commercial building inspections.
Weathers and firefighters like Upton, who are all certified to do inspections, are in the process of checking 1,700 to 1,800 Columbus businesses for fire code violations before Dec. 1. Most inspections will be done in regular business hours.
“We”re business-friendly,” Weathers said. “We don”t want to penalize people. We”re providing a service.”
If businesses are not checked for code violations, he added, they are susceptible to fire. And when a business burns down, that hurts both owners and the community.
“The way I look at it, it”s win-win-win-win-win,” Weathers said.
In the primary phase, which began Oct. 1, 15 to 19 firefighters per day inspect businesses, tell owners what to do to bring their buildings up to code and schedule a return visit to make sure the problem is fixed.
If the problem is not fixed by the return visit, firefighters write a notice of violation, which calls in the fire marshal, who can write citations if the business does not comply with code.
In 2009, Weathers said he issued six citations.
“We don”t want to issue citations,” he added. “That”s not the goal of (inspections).”
“(It”s) the last thing I want to do as a fire marshal,” he continued. “I want (businesses) to understand that what we”re doing is helping them and the community.”
The most common violations are improper extinguisher sizes and using extension cords and flexible cords in place of permanent wiring, said Fire Department Safety Education Coordinator Carole Summerall.
Businesses are required by code to have at least one 10-pound ABC extinguisher, she added.
During inspections, firefighters check exit signs, smoke alarms, wiring, electric outlets and breakers, among other things.
Residential structures are not checked unless requested by a resident, Weathers said.
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