Menomonee Falls board adopts ordinance requiring web-based reporting for certain fire inspections

The Menomonee Falls Village Board unanimously approved an ordinance to create section 46‑81 of the municipal code, establishing reporting requirements for specified fire inspections and maintenance records.

A trustee moved to adopt the ordinance, which authorizes the fire chief to require that inspection reports — including backflow prevention and hood-and-duct system checks performed by private inspectors of nonresidential properties — be submitted through a web‑based inspection reporting program selected by the fire chief. The trustee said the change would allow the fire department to “provide the community with an increased level of fire prevention, inspection and education services.”

The trustee described the measure as a shift toward centralized, third‑party verification that would reduce the department’s paperwork and help ensure inspections are filed and completed on time. “There is no cost to the village. There is a small cost to the businesses,” the trustee said.

Board members asked for a follow-up check: the trustee said the fire chief will return in one year with an update to allow the board to assess whether the requirement is overly burdensome to businesses. A staff speaker clarified that the ordinance language amends chapter 46 to add the new section 46‑81.

The motion was seconded and the board voted in favor; the ordinance was adopted without recorded opposition. The board did not provide an ordinance number in the meeting record. The new reporting requirement, as described in the meeting, applies to nonresidential property inspectors and will be implemented in a web‑based reporting system selected by the fire chief.

The next procedural step noted at the meeting is the one‑year update from the fire chief on how the program is functioning.