Chesterfield Fire & EMS

Fire & Life Safety

The Fire and Life Safety Division concentrates on methods to reduce the number and severity of personal injuries and fires. The division presents safety education programs, reviews construction and fire protection system plans, inspects buildings, and investigates fires. Fire and Life Safety primarily is responsible for programs and activities that promote positive life safety practices and attitudes, as well as fire safe conditions in homes and public buildings. The objectives are preventing injuries, deaths and property damage. Commercial construction continues to include larger, more complex and multi-story buildings that require expanded fire protection features and systems. These types of structures are requiring more time to perform in-depth reviews of construction plans.

Objectives

• Maintain total estimated property loss under 5 percent of property value
• Maintain civilian injuries per 100 fires below five for the year
• Maintain the number of fires per 1,000 population below 10
• Maintain a comprehensive inspection program that targets high risk buildings and populations
• Provide accident prevention and education programs at various levels of our school system
• Provide technical support to emergency operations personnel by identifying and targeting priority fire hazards
• Present fire safety programs and information concerning cooking related fires and smoke detectors
• Provide quality plan review in 10 days or less for most commercial and multi-family properties

Sections

• Fire Marshal's Office - Fire Prevention Code Enforcement (Inspections), Open Burning Regulations, Fireworks Enforcement, Explosives and Blasting, and Environmental Crimes.
• Plans Review Section - Review, testing, and approval of all newly constructed or renovated fire protection systems. This link includes checklists to complete for the Plans Review Process.
• Fire and Life Safety House - The most powerful tool to help educate children on what to do in the event of a fire in the home.
• Fire Safety Tips - How to prevent the most common household fires and accidents.
• Community Programs - A listing of courses that are conducted in association with school programs and other educational opportunities. 

The Future

Residential fire sprinklers will become the next life saving fire safety feature to be installed in new and existing homes. Like smoke detectors in the 1970's, the technology surrounding home fire sprinklers has evolved to a reliable and affordable method to protect your home and family.

A National Fire Protection Association survey indicates that when smoke detectors are combined with residential sprinklers, fire death rates and property damage can be reduced by as much as 82%.

Residential sprinkler systems can easily be installed in new homes and existing homes as well. A number of communities across the nation have requirements for these systems in new homes and have seen dramatic reductions in the dollar loss, injuries and deaths.

To learn more about home sprinkler systems visit The Home Sprinkler Coalition or e-mail firemarshal@chesterfield.gov.