How to Ace Your Fire Violation Inspection—And Ensure You Won’t Need Another in the Future

At least once a year, your building is subject to a fire safety inspection. Whether your local fire marshal or an agent from a state-certified private inspection agency is conducting the inspection, the goal is the same: to assess how prepared your building is to keep fires from occurring, as well as how it will respond should a fire occur.

After the inspection has been completed, the inspector will discuss their report with you. This report includes potential fire hazards and code violations identified within your structure, as well as recommendations on how to remedy these issues. For each violation, the specific code being violated will be cited. Finally, the inspector will establish a date by which violations must be addressed and leave you with a copy of their report to refer back to as you go about addressing violations.

Being cited for a violation can feel scary, but what truly matters is how you handle what comes next: the process of fixing mistakes and undergoing a follow-up fire violation inspection.

If the inspector informs you that your building is in violation of fire safety codes, keep calm. Focus on obtaining and verifying all of the information available.

Follow these steps for each violation cited:

1. Write down both the violation and the code citation. Be sure to read the section of the code being cited for yourself to make sure you understand exactly where you went wrong and how it can be fixed. If needed, ask the inspector clarifying questions about what is expected of you.
2. Take photos of the non-compliant component or equipment.
3. Research correction methods and create a plan. Depending on the severity of the violation, action may or may not need to be taken right away. In instances where fire watch (which we will explore more later on) is mandated, arrange for fire watch guards to begin work as soon as possible.

Though consequences vary across state lines, potential consequences for violations include:

• Being forced to close your building either temporarily or permanently
• Being subject to a follow-up fire violation inspection
• Costs associated with having to pause regular business and make corrections
• Fines, which will increase if violations go unaddressed or occur regularly 
• Immediate evacuation of your building
• Issues with your insurance provider
• Legal liabilities
• Receiving a fire watch order

Most of the consequences listed above are pretty self-explanatory, but if you’ve never heard of fire watch, you may be wondering what it entails. Receiving a fire watch order means that human fire watch guards will act as monitors in place of automatic protections. When systems meant to detect, contain, or extinguish fires aren’t working, fire watch guards step in to make sure fires do not occur while those systems are down and being fixed.

The good news is that fire watch is temporary. As soon as you have been cleared by the inspector of your fire violation inspection, fire watch ends, so be sure to get started on fixing the issue(s) right away. Duration of fire watch varies based on the issue(s) in need of addressing, but can range from a couple hours to multiple weeks. Note that prematurely stopping fire watch can result in being cited for a new violation, so make sure not to stop until you have passed your follow-up fire violation inspection.

It is fire watch guards’ jobs to stay on the lookout for fire hazards, not to provide repair services, so you’ll need to arrange for contractors yourself.

If you have been put under a fire watch order, the inspector will want the following documentation at the fire violation inspection:

• Confirmation of re-inspection scheduling
• Fire watch logs filled out by fire watch guards
• Records of repair services such as invoices, service reports, and work orders

Before you take any steps to address violations, document them as they are with dated photos. Be sure to continue documenting by taking photos and collecting all records of repair services so you can prove that you have been taking the necessary steps, should you need to.

After corrections have been made, take dated photos again and create a report detailing all work that was done and when.

If progress is moving more slowly than you had anticipated, you can request an extension of your deadline. Write out why you need the extension and suggest a new deadline that is more realistic for you. Also provide photos of the progress that has been made so far.

Address violations in order of severity and amount of time until deadline. Life-threatening violations should always be addressed first, but violations that will require the work of contractors should be scheduled early on.

Depending on your situation, you might receive a follow-up visit from an inspector to verify that corrective action has been taken. This follow-up might include re-inspecting your entire structure, or just the initial area of non-compliance.

How soon the fire violation inspection occurs after your initial inspection is determined by the inspector. Depending on the severity of the violation, this timeframe could be anywhere from just 24 hours to a leisurely 90 days.

If the inspector spots any serious violations during their initial inspection, they will automatically schedule a follow-up inspection. However, for more minor violations, it is up to you to request a follow-up fire violation inspection once you have fully addressed the issue. To do this, submit a written request to the inspector. Be sure to include the following in your request:

• Each violation cited and correction made
• Proof of corrections (photos, receipts, etc.)
• The original inspection date
• The original inspection report number

During the fire violation inspection, your inspector will confirm that effective and proper corrections have been made. If they find this to be the case, you will receive a confirmation of compliance in writing. However, if they find your fixes to be dissatisfactory, you will be given a new deadline to provide you with more time to address the issue(s).

Be aware that it is also a possibility that the inspector will spot new violations during your fire violation inspection. To avoid this, be sure to actually address violations, rather than going with cheap and convenient, yet superficial fixes.

You’ve likely heard that digitizing your inspection system will help protect you from future violations, but this is only half of the story. The truth is, not all digital platforms are created equal. You don’t just need a digital platform to house your inspection data; you need a system that keeps you on schedule, easily stores data, and can be configured for all aspects of your fire safety program. You need InspectNTrack.

Designed to be usable for as many people and as many purposes as possible, InspectNTrack’s software is fit for tracking absolutely any type of inspection on iOS, Android, or Windows devices. With regular inspections automatically scheduled and suggestions of corrective actions triggered from failed inspections, our software ensures that when the fire safety inspector comes knocking, you have the ability to prove year-round compliance.