Clayton Dignam, Porterville fire marshal, told the Project Review Committee that the proposed culinary training space at a downtown commercial building may not be used for cooking until fire‑safety systems have been inspected and tagged.

"Fire extinguishers shall be placed to comply with the currently adopted edition of the California fire code," Dignam said, adding that extinguishers must be within "no further than the 75 foot travel distance" from one another and mounted between 4 inches from the floor and 48 inches to the top of the extinguisher. He also said suppression systems that protect grease‑producing appliances must be inspected and serviced prior to first use and then maintained on the manufacturer’s and code‑required schedules.

Dignam said service intervals for suppression systems are regular: "for those, it's every 6 months, and for fire extinguishers, it's every year." He warned that the existing suppression arrangement at the site is not a full tank‑style system that protects all appliances regardless of layout, and moving appliances later could require system modification and a permit and acceptance test.

The fire marshal also addressed egress and access: any required exit security gates must be locked in the open position while the building is occupied, and the city expects a Knox box to be installed so first responders can access the building. Dignam offered to assist the applicant with ordering and keying the Knox box and said the city will provide keys once the unit arrives.

Oscar Zepeda, chair of the Project Review Committee and an associate planner, told the applicant that staff will include departmental comments in a written letter and that, provided the listed items are completed, they do not expect those items to block issuance of a business license. "Once that's done, you're ready for business license," Dignam said during the exchange.

Next steps: the applicant was advised to have suppression equipment inspected and tagged before any cooking or culinary instruction begins, to service extinguishers and to arrange Knox‑box installation; staff said these tasks can proceed while the business license application is routed.