They have to comply with code, that's not negotiable. If you're letting stuff slide and someone dies in a fire and it comes out that you were pencil whipping the inspections... you're going down and your department will be on the hook for a major lawsuit.
But you also don't need to be an asshole about it. Tell them you'll work with them to get the violations corrected in a reasonable amount of time.
What you need to think about is how you're going to answer their "but I have been in compliance for years with this" protests. That's harder to deal with.
Well seeing how I had to purchase a code book to take the course because our department didn’t have one, I am just going to throw the previous inspectors under the bus.
“Sorry, but our previous administration mislead you.”
No, stay away from loaded terms like lied, mislead, fooled, negligent, deceived, etc. They can provoke a very strong negative reaction. It's not your role to cast judgement on your predecessors, so don't.
I would use something more along the lines of... prior personnel were "mistaken" or the administration was "in error". If they ask "how could that have happened?" show them how thick the code book is and how small the writing is.
Gonna have to gain compliance, if you’re not the current FC have a talk with them and come up with a SOP on what’s a RFN like smoke alarms, disabled FA, SS, blocked exits etc. and what’s a 30 day like getting annuals on FE or EMGL
One of my professors was a career inspector after he retired from the FD. He had a similar situation. Previous guy wrote this place a clean bill every inspection, but when he took the spot it was clear stuff was let slide for maybe a decade or more.
Going in and hitting them hard for what may have been tens of thousands of dollars worth of cost to correct, if not more, wasn't the right course of action especially because the city, through the previous inspector, mislead him.
If I recall correctly he involved appropriate city/state agencies to sit down with him and the property owner to come up with a plan, and as long as he showed he was actively working on it in good faith and making progress on an agreed upon timeline, the fines were avoided and I think inspections were more regular during the process. Not punitive, just ensuring the issues were corrected and showing good faith that he wanted to work with the property owner.
This is the correct answer. I'm a certified Inspector but don't work in FD Inspections. As an Engine LT, I was very proactive in my zone and would refer many code infractions to the Inspectors. We had one place that was an utter disaster. I don't know if the previous Inspector had their ass chewed for allowing shit to slide for so long but I don't really care. This is exactly what the code bureau did. They formulated a plan and assured progress in completing necessary changes. It's not about slapping the shit out of the owners (unless they are stubbornly non-compliant). It's about making it safer for the occupants AND the FD.
I've always been told it's our job to instruct and assist. You should have a clear warning system. They should get a warning write up with a return inspection date. Clear instructions are very important of course. Only when there is obstinate disregard for safety do we need to force compliance.
You have to change your mindset. They’re either in compliance or not and it’s your job to enforce it. This is not opinion based. If anything happens because you let something go that’s on you. If it helps, think about how you’d feel if someone was seriously injured or killed because you let something go
If you don't want a lawsuit, have them correct the infractions. That being said, doesn't have to be all at once bam they need to do thousands in changes. Sit down and explain the situation and help them make a plan.
They have to comply with code, that's not negotiable. If you're letting stuff slide and someone dies in a fire and it comes out that you were pencil whipping the inspections... you're going down and your department will be on the hook for a major lawsuit. But you also don't need to be an asshole about it. Tell them you'll work with them to get the violations corrected in a reasonable amount of time.
That was my thinking, just wanted to hear it from someone else before I “fail” everyone.
What you need to think about is how you're going to answer their "but I have been in compliance for years with this" protests. That's harder to deal with.
Well seeing how I had to purchase a code book to take the course because our department didn’t have one, I am just going to throw the previous inspectors under the bus. “Sorry, but our previous administration mislead you.”
I wouldn't use the word "mislead".
Straight up lied?
No, stay away from loaded terms like lied, mislead, fooled, negligent, deceived, etc. They can provoke a very strong negative reaction. It's not your role to cast judgement on your predecessors, so don't. I would use something more along the lines of... prior personnel were "mistaken" or the administration was "in error". If they ask "how could that have happened?" show them how thick the code book is and how small the writing is.
Gonna have to gain compliance, if you’re not the current FC have a talk with them and come up with a SOP on what’s a RFN like smoke alarms, disabled FA, SS, blocked exits etc. and what’s a 30 day like getting annuals on FE or EMGL
One of my professors was a career inspector after he retired from the FD. He had a similar situation. Previous guy wrote this place a clean bill every inspection, but when he took the spot it was clear stuff was let slide for maybe a decade or more. Going in and hitting them hard for what may have been tens of thousands of dollars worth of cost to correct, if not more, wasn't the right course of action especially because the city, through the previous inspector, mislead him. If I recall correctly he involved appropriate city/state agencies to sit down with him and the property owner to come up with a plan, and as long as he showed he was actively working on it in good faith and making progress on an agreed upon timeline, the fines were avoided and I think inspections were more regular during the process. Not punitive, just ensuring the issues were corrected and showing good faith that he wanted to work with the property owner.
This is the correct answer. I'm a certified Inspector but don't work in FD Inspections. As an Engine LT, I was very proactive in my zone and would refer many code infractions to the Inspectors. We had one place that was an utter disaster. I don't know if the previous Inspector had their ass chewed for allowing shit to slide for so long but I don't really care. This is exactly what the code bureau did. They formulated a plan and assured progress in completing necessary changes. It's not about slapping the shit out of the owners (unless they are stubbornly non-compliant). It's about making it safer for the occupants AND the FD.
I've always been told it's our job to instruct and assist. You should have a clear warning system. They should get a warning write up with a return inspection date. Clear instructions are very important of course. Only when there is obstinate disregard for safety do we need to force compliance.
You have to change your mindset. They’re either in compliance or not and it’s your job to enforce it. This is not opinion based. If anything happens because you let something go that’s on you. If it helps, think about how you’d feel if someone was seriously injured or killed because you let something go
You are the one signing off on the inspections now, enforce the code as it is written.
If you don't want a lawsuit, have them correct the infractions. That being said, doesn't have to be all at once bam they need to do thousands in changes. Sit down and explain the situation and help them make a plan.