Columbia County fire marshal details plan-review and inspection role in Lakeside, Evans school expansions

Chief Fire Marshal Brian Clark said Columbia County’s fire marshal office — which is part of Development Services rather than the county fire department — reviews life-safety plans, witnesses system tests and participates in staged inspections before new commercial spaces, including school additions, are cleared for occupancy.

“Once everything is complete that the designers have called out, then that's whenever we would be part of the certificate of occupancy being issued,” Clark said. The county’s life-safety review runs alongside building plan review so that architects’ and engineers’ plans meet fire-safety requirements from the conceptual stage through final inspection.

The distinction matters because life-safety code requirements determine occupancy classification and set prescriptive thresholds — for example, whether a sprinkler or fire-alarm system is required, how many exits are needed and how wide they must be. Clark said the codes “tell the designer exactly what has to happen and how to accomplish it.” He explained that reviewers check designers’ submittals to verify compliance with the codes the designers reference.

During construction, Clark said the office performs at least two main inspection stages: an 80% stage conducted before ceilings are closed so inspectors can see fire-rated construction, sprinkler and alarm work, and a final stage (referred to in the discussion as the 100% inspection) to verify that systems function as designed. “During the 100% inspection, we're looking to make sure all that functions as designed,” he said. He described witnessing system tests in which every fire-alarm device is activated and sprinkler systems are flowed, and receiving test certifications from contractors.

Clark described the mix of active and passive fire protection used in buildings such as schools. Passive measures include compartmentalized construction — walls, floors and ceilings tested by Underwriters Laboratories and specified in designs — while active measures include alarm and sprinkler systems verified through testing.

For existing commercial buildings, Clark said the life-safety code includes a chapter on existing-structure requirements. Annual inspections focus on ensuring that life-safety features required at construction are maintained and that building owners carry out required maintenance within specified timeframes. Inspectors also use site visits to educate owners and occupants about violations and corrective steps.

Clark said his team consists of four people who share plan-review and inspection duties; some staff focus more on new construction while others concentrate on existing businesses. The office prioritizes inspections by occupancy classification and hazard risk in line with the state’s recommendations.

The interview took place at Lakeside High School, where Clark said the school district is adding a performing arts center and a gymnasium and doing interior renovations; once complete, the new floor area will be added to the district’s rotation of annual inspections. He also said work at Evans High School has kept the office busy and that school district staff routinely walk through inspections with county reviewers.

This interview was informational; no formal actions or policy changes were proposed or recorded during the discussion.