Auditor General: Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has not sustained fire‑safety inspection program; incomplete implementation of prior audits

Arizona Auditor General staff told the Joint Legislative Audit Committee that the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) has implemented only a small portion of the recommendations from a 2023 performance audit and remains short of several statutorily required programs, most notably a regularly scheduled fire safety inspection program.

Patrick Jannett of the Auditor General’s office presented the May 2025, 18‑month follow‑up to the 2023 performance audit and sunset review. Jannett said auditors found the department had met its statutory objective in at least one area — spending appropriations on wildfire suppression and mitigation — but “we also had multiple findings,” including that “the department had not developed a statutorily required fire safety inspection program” and “did not comply with some state conflict of interest requirements.” He told the committee the 2023 review made 33 recommendations; as of the 18‑month follow‑up, DFFM had implemented 2, was in the process of implementing or implementing differently 14, and had not implemented 17.

Auditors recounted a decades‑long pattern of incomplete or unsustained compliance with inspection responsibilities dating to earlier audits (1988, 1999, 2001 and 2011). The 2023 review noted DFFM lacked a complete inventory of state and county buildings that the State Fire Marshal’s Office is required to inspect and that some buildings in the department’s existing inventory lacked National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) risk classifications. The Auditor General’s office also found the department’s workload analysis — which identified a need for 27 additional positions at an estimated annual cost of nearly $4.8 million and informed a FY 2026 budget request — likely understates the work needed because it was performed before the department completed key planning steps (complete inventory, NFPA classifications, and an inspection schedule).

Jannett emphasized public‑safety implications: inspection reports from October 2022 identified fire‑protection systems in school buildings past due for required service, and the auditors flagged cases such as a school auditorium fire alarm without power. He said auditors recommended a written plan to guide the development and implementation of a regular inspection program and that the department has not produced such a plan with completion deadlines and assigned responsibilities.

DFFM Director Thomas Torres acknowledged the department’s shortcomings and told the committee he appreciates the audit work and that “we have made some progress in addressing the auditor general’s recommendations.” He described operational achievements — a busy wildfire season in 2024 and a record of about 30,000 acres treated for mitigation in the fiscal year — but he and State Fire Marshal Cassie Peters both confirmed the office needs more resources and sustained systems changes to meet inspection and CWPP (community wildfire protection plan) tracking responsibilities.

The state fire marshal’s office presented a draft written plan that lists key steps and described actions taken (building inventories obtained from county officials and school/charter lists, development of a Salesforce‑based database, and a portal to accept inspection submissions from LOA partners). Peters said some NFPA risk classifications were assigned, but the office has not completed classifications for all buildings and continues to visit sites to determine risk for many listings.

Committee members pressed the department on alternatives to hiring additional staff: whether DFFM had considered broader use of agreements (letters of appointment) with local fire authorities or private vendors, asking for an RFP to outsource backlog work, and whether the department could better use available technology (including AI) to assemble inventories and help triage inspections. Director Torres and the state fire marshal said efforts to expand LOAs and training for local inspectors are under way but noted statutory certification requirements limit which local entities can perform inspections.

Auditor General staff said they will perform a 24‑month follow‑up later this year to assess additional progress. The 18‑month follow‑up identifies multiple outstanding items auditors will reexamine, including the written plan for a fire‑safety inspection program, NFPA risk classifications, complaint‑handling policies and procedures, and CWPP accomplishment tracking.