Published October 17, 2017
Fire Inspection Code Violations
Fire inspections are put in place by our county and cities to ensure the safety for all of Las Vegas. Sometimes it feels like the fire department may be picking on you, but in reality they are trying to keep your building safe. Having a fire inspection catches things that you probably wouldn’t catch otherwise. Think about it…how often do you really touch your fire alarm system or the extinguishers in your building? Why would you unless there was an emergency? Fire inspections are in place to protect your building from a fire. If there is a fire in your building you want to make sure everything is up to code. Having a building that is up to date on fire code makes it easier to put out a fire or even prevent the fire in the first place! The following is the top 10 Fire Code Violations according to Clark County Department of Building and Fire Prevention.
Top 10 Fire Inspection Violations
- Fire extinguishers must be serviced every 12 months, and be readily accessible to anyone in case of
emergency. - Electrical extension cords are for temporary use only, for example using a vacuum or power tool. Multi-outlet power strips with built in circuit breakers are approved to protect computers and other related equipment.
- Emergency lights and exit signs must work in both normal and emergency power. If the exit sign is a lighted sign it must be lit at all times.
- Exit doors must be easily opened from the inside. It is not acceptable to need a key or have special knowledge to unlock the door. If you have a main storefront door it is acceptable to have it locked as long as there is a sign above that reads: “This door to remain unlocked when building is occupied.”
- Aisles, walkways, stairways, and paths that lead to exits must be clear of any and all obstructions
- Fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems must be inspected every 3 or 12 months by a licensed fire protection contractor. The amount of inspections for your building is dependent on the equipment. Call Shield Fire & Security at 702-570-6221 for more information or visit our site here.
- Fire suppression systems for a commercial cooking setting aka hood systems must be serviced and tested by a licensed contractor. The testing frequency is dependent on use, and is monthly, quarterly, or annually.
- Street address must be visible from the street fronting the property. The address must also be in a contrasting color.
- Fire hydrants must be visible and accessible at all times. Each hydrant must have 3 ft of clearance on all sides and no parking within 15 ft.
- Electrical outlets, junction boxes, and circuit breaker panels must all have the appropriate coverings.
Are you ready for your fire inspection?
Fire inspections can be a head ache if you don’t prepare for them. The fire department can obviously find other problems that aren’t on the above list, but the above is the most common. The above list is full of items that you would think are common sense; however, many do not think of the above items until it’s inspection time or there’s an emergency.
For example having all your aisles, walkways, and stairways that lead to exits cleared sounds like a no-brainer, but it may not be for certain situations. What if you have an exit door you covered because no one goes into that area of the building because it’s for storage? Regardless of the circumstance that exit door needs to be cleared. Someone could be rummaging through those storage items or a professional may need access to put out the fire.
Fires don’t happen where or when you want them to happen, and they can cause a tremendous amount of damage. This is why our cities and counties are always actively working to prevent fires.
Inspection of Equipment
Inspections of equipment are the hardest part of a fire inspection . Whenever you are looking to have a company inspect your equipment, make sure you give them plenty of notice. That way they have plenty of time to inspect your equipment, and put you on a regular inspection/service schedule. The last thing you want is to find out your fire alarm has a fault on it a day before your inspection.
Also, another thing to remember is you can’t just call one company to take care of all of your fire code needs. Surprisingly, each of the inspection required items have different licenses associated with them. There isn’t a license that allows you to service everything related to fire. Shield Fire & Security for example is licensed to monitor sprinkler systems and install, inspect, and monitor fire alarm systems. Unlike other companies in our trade, we have a licensed fire inspector that can help point out deficiencies for Shield customers, before their fire inspections. Click here or call 702-570-6221 to contact Shield Fire & Security.
Helpful links
Clark county has a ton of helpful information on their site check out their site here.
City of Las Vegas here.
City of Henderson here.
Don’t wait for the last minute to prepare for a fire inspection!
