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Keene fire marshal outlines permitting, inspection reforms; committee accepts update
Summary
Fire Marshal Rick Wood told the Keene municipal services committee he has focused on customer‑centered permitting, cross‑department inspections and staff training since starting in April; the committee voted to accept the presentation as informational.
Rick Wood, Keene’s fire marshal and building official, told the Municipal Services, Facilities & Infrastructure Committee on Monday that his office has moved toward a customer‑centric permitting and inspection model, seeking faster online permits, joint inspections and clearer public communications.
"We're facilitators, not regulators," Wood said, describing a shift intended to reduce applicants' time and steps to compliance. He said the department has rolled out online gas and oil permitting with turnarounds often under 24 hours, begun joint inspections so residents need not wait for multiple visits, and removed duplicate permitting steps such as separate permits for smoke detectors.
City Fire Chief Jason Martin praised Wood’s collaboration and outreach, thanking him and lieutenant staff for public engagement during Fire Prevention Week. Wood also highlighted staff achievements: plans reviewer Michael Hagen was recognized at the International Code Council and housing inspector Ryan Lawless has been accepted to sit for a national registered environmental health specialist exam.
Wood said staff now meet weekly to review complex code enforcement cases, that complaint activity notes are being rewritten in consumer‑facing language, and that the department is pursuing benchmarking through the International Accreditation Service program for building departments. He also outlined near‑term code work, including consolidated and clarified chapters covering housing/property standards and proposed updates to fire alarm and fire prevention chapters.
Committee members asked for more detail on proposed fire alarm changes; the chair invited staff back with specifics. Councilor (Speaker 7) moved to "recommend that the presentation on code and fire inspections be accepted as informational." The motion was seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to accept the presentation as informational.
The department said it will continue community outreach, training and process refinements and return with additional detail on specific code rewrites and fire alarm/master‑box changes.
