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Fire chief reports progress on inspections program, in-house certification and ongoing training backlog
Summary
Chief Mathis told council the department has restructured shifts, assigned two fire-inspection investigators, completed portions of a best-practices program and obtained in-house designations to deliver state fire-inspector certification, though some training sections remain to finish.
The fire chief updated the City Council on fire-inspection staffing, training and progress toward in-house certification for fire inspectors.
The update matters because completion of inspection training and certification affects the city's ability to perform routine fire inspections, oversight of licensed facilities and compliance with state standards.
"Thank you, mayor, council. Code enforcement as far as fire inspections... we changed our shift arrangement and, assigned 2 people or hired 2 people as fire inspector investigators. They've completed a piece of that training," Chief Mathis said. He described the state's "best practices" program that the department is implementing; the program has roughly 10 sections and, according to Mathis, the department has completed about 60% of those sections. He said the assigned inspectors have not yet completed full fire-inspector certification because the best-practices workload remains substantial.
Mathis added that the city's training captain recently received in-house designations from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection that allow the department to offer fire-inspector certification and training internally. The department currently has three individuals conducting fire inspections, including licensed facilities, day cares and schools, Mathis said.
Chief Mathis said the department can begin interim study processes in-house but must delay opening a formal certification class until staff can dedicate the required time to meet the training schedule. No regulatory action was taken at the meeting; the discussion was an informational status report.
