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Redmond fire prevention falls short of inspection goals; city to study fee changes
Summary
Fire officials reported gaps in building inspection coverage and system testing in 2024, citing staffing limits and growing building complexity. The department plans a prevention fee study and stepped‑up outreach to address compliance.
The City of Redmond’s fire department told the City Council on April 1 that the fire prevention division did not meet several of its 2024 performance goals and that staffing and increasing building complexity are limiting inspection coverage.
Deputy Fire Chief Ami Quercone introduced the Fire Prevention 2024 performance report and said the staff report frames a forthcoming prevention fee study intended to examine cost recovery and resourcing options. Fire Marshal Rich Gieske and Assistant Fire Marshal Gary Smith presented data on plan reviews, inspections and system reliability.
Key findings presented to council: - Development reviews: the fire prevention team completed 2,377 building and fire reviews and 1,630 construction inspections in 2024. The on‑time review rate for fire prevention was 67% versus the goal of 84%; 91% of reviews were completed within seven days of the identified due date. - Life‑safety inspections: the division inspected roughly 42.6% of the city’s commercial and mixed‑use inventory in 2024, short of its 53% target. The department follows NFPA 1730 guidance to prioritize higher‑risk occupancies. - Multifamily inspections: the city has approximately 1,600 multifamily residential buildings; historically those inspections were assigned to suppression crews, but higher call volumes and training demands have reduced inspection consistency. - System reliability: staff track more than 3,200 fire protection systems (sprinklers, alarms, etc.). A substantial number of systems were past due for required testing or maintenance; the department assigned an assistant fire marshal specifically to drive compliance. - Fire loss data: over the last six years the department recorded 781 fires (737 confined to the room or object of origin), 82 displaced units, about $13.9 million in structural loss against $1.2 billion in assessed structural value, and zero civilian fire deaths. In 2024 the department responded to 278 reported fires; cooking-related incidents remain a leading cause.
Why it matters: officials said the city’s building inventory is increasing in number and complexity, requiring more prevention resources to maintain inspection frequency and system testing. Failure to inspect and enforce maintenance can leave older, non‑sprinklered multifamily buildings—often housing vulnerable populations—at higher risk.
Council discussion and follow‑up: councilmembers asked for more operational detail in quarterly reports, including overtime usage and outreach spending, and for metrics that better reflect risk‑based inspection targets. Chief Quercone said the prevention fee study now underway will present options for balancing service levels and cost recovery; staff will return to the council with results and recommended metrics in the coming months.
Ending: The department said it will expand community risk reduction efforts and refine performance metrics in 2025 while continuing the prevention fee study to identify resourcing options.
