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Fire official urges county to update 2009 mutual‑aid agreement and revisit $30,000 inspection allocation
Summary
Natrona County fire representatives told commissioners the department inspects about 714 buildings but lacks staff to reach them all; they urged updating a 2009 mutual‑aid agreement to formalize plan‑review duties and said the county's $30,000 allocation is likely undervalued in 2026.
Howard Odin, a fire department presenter at the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners meeting on July 8, said the county allocation of about $30,000 is focused on annual inspections for county businesses and does not cover the full scope of current work.
"We've got close to 714 buildings in our system. I cannot get to all those in a year, doing my other duties," Odin said, describing how the office prioritizes inspections for high‑occupancy and higher‑hazard sites such as schools and assemblies. He told commissioners the fire office is operating short an inspector position that existed several years ago.
Odin said the department routinely participates with the building department on compliance visits, final occupancy inspections and other reviews. He said performing building plan reviews is not included in the 2009 mutual‑aid agreement the two agencies operate under, yet he currently provides code analyses, occupancy classifications and related plan‑review work.
"It's not in our mutual aid agreement that was signed in 2009…that 30,000 mark is probably undervalued at this point in time in 2026," Odin said, urging the county to revisit the agreement and funding level.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about what services are billed separately (for example, construction plan review and permit fees) and whether the fire department's work overlaps with private third‑party providers. Odin said construction permits include plan review and follow‑up inspections for fire protection systems, and that new operational permits (food trucks, amusement buildings) are part of a broader effort to standardize permitting and record‑keeping.
The presenters described an effort to standardize records using software that links inspections and plans to a building record, which Odin said will help future staff manage inspections and maintain continuity.
The commission did not take a formal vote on funding at the meeting; commissioners and staff indicated they will consider language updates to the mutual‑aid agreement and review budget implications in coming budget discussions.
