Fire Prevention Week is Sunday, Oct 6 to Saturday, October 12. One way to prevent fires is the requirement for buildings to have fire safety inspections.

Every commercial space in Duluth has an operational permit that is good for three years. Deputy Fire Marshal Adam Casillas is part if the Life Safety office of the Duluth Fire Department. The office does fire safety inspections, education, and fire investigations. These are often accompanied by K-9 Jack.

Jack will come on come do inspections with me because I want them experience as much as possible. So then if we do have an investigation, it’s not necessarily all new to them. Just the fire scene itself is new whether you know, there was something there,” explained Casillas. “Obviously some spaces that aren’t safe for him, some business owners just don’t want him in there, which is completely fine. But most people are happy to have a companion come with because it’s better than just talking with me.”

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For commercial inspections, the first item on the checklist is to ensure the space has proper exit signs. It also needs to have signage to indicate the location of shutoffs as well as fire alarm panels.

Next, the sprinkler system is checked. This includes making sure that all of the ceiling tiles are in place.

“We want the smoke and the heat to collect at the head, not above the head. It won’t set it off if you’re missing the ceiling tiles,” said Casillas.

Other aspects of the sprinkler system are also checked, such as making sure valves are all open and checking the tags to ensure the system has been inspected recently. Fire extinguishers also need to be maintained on an annual basis. They are required to be within 75 feet.

Other violations include not having electrical connections covered and secured. Common fire hazards that are also seen in residential spaces include not having a power strip plugged directly into a well outlet, having multiple power strips plugged into each other, and plugging space heaters into power strips.

Casillas says smoke detectors should be tested monthly and have batteries changed annually. Another important way to stay safe in the event of a fire is to make sure all exits are easily accessible.

“Please don’t store things in egress routes. Stairways, I know people like to, that back stairway, no one ever uses it, but it was designed as an emergency exit,” said Casillas. “So please don’t store things on there, especially your holiday stuff that you’re trying to keep out of the way. We want to keep all exits open in case there is an emergency.”

Operational permit inspections include looking out for safety hazards in addition to fire prevention aspects.

“It’s tough for people when I tell them I’m coming in to do an operational permanent inspection, but I’m the fire department and so they just immediately think I’m only looking at fire systems,” explained Casillas. “I’m looking at the totality of the building. So in an old building, the other thing I’m looking at is to make sure that the foundation itself is sturdy and safe. Because once a building is built, unless you do a remodel, no city official comes in. We’re the only city officials that are coming in to inspect it. So as far as I’m concerned, a crumbling foundation becomes a life safety hazard.”

For a commercial fire safety inspection, there is usually a requirement to fix issues within 30 days. Some flexibility can be allowed for expensive issues. Problems that are life-threatening and more serious will be required to be fixed immediately. Education is the main focus for these inspections, preventing fires.

“If we are teaching you, hopefully we improve in the future. If I’m just coming down hard on you, more likely to fight it and not want to listen to what I have to say,” said Casillas. “So every time we point out a correction, we also try to give them the reason as to why it’s in the Minnesota State Fire Code.”