Fire marshal proposes consolidated fire-code revisions, new enforcement language and hydrant/alarm maintenance requirements

Deputy Chief Carl Crumley and the Fire Marshal walked commissioners through proposed revisions to Chapter 54 that would modernize the county's fire code language and enforcement approach. Key elements include:

- Revising reference language to rely on intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) rather than listing municipalities by name. - Updating the life-safety certificate-of-occupancy process to allow transfers or name changes without a full new CO where there is no change to occupancy classification or substantial renovation; the staff also proposed an objective definition for "substantial renovation" that would trigger a full review. - Adding enforcement and penalty language to the certificate-of-occupancy article, and explicitly defining the Fire Code Appeals Board and the appeals path to superior court when warranted. - Requiring tagging and maintenance records for private hydrants and fire alarm panels to improve readiness and make inspections more efficient; failing to submit proof could lead to fees. - Clarifying responsibilities for tanks and other facilities where state fire marshal jurisdiction supersedes county code.

Crumley said the county attorney's office drafted many of the wording changes to improve legal clarity and that the updates would make local enforcement consistent with state fire-code adoption. Commissioners asked for a final check on effective dates and statutory citations; staff said it would confirm and return revised draft code.