Fire Prevention Bureau

Inspections

One of the most vital functions we perform for our community is providing fire inspections of commercial and industrial facilities, apartment buildings, schools and churches. There are approximately 2,800 properties within the North Shore that must be inspected annually or bi-annually. Our firefighters evaluate the buildings for any unsafe conditions and then work with the owner or occupant to develop measures to correct any adverse conditions.

The North Shore Fire Department has a responsibility to improve the quality of fire safety in the North Shore. Our guidelines concentrate on identifying unsafe conditions or deficiencies in buildings and structures. The codes are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce as adopted from the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). With care and diligence, we strive to provide a reliable means to reduce the loss of life or property from fire. Both the businesses and firefighters benefit. The businesses benefit by having safer buildings; the firefighters benefit by getting to know the buildings inside and out – useful information to have when fighting fires.

In addition to the inspections performed by the firefighters, Fire Marshal Dave Lind inspects new occupancies and new construction. He works with City and Village developers and planners before and throughout the construction process to make sure that codes are met and plans are made for safety and fire prevention. Fire Marshal Lind can be contacted via email or by calling 414-228-0246.

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Code Compliance Assistance

Many questions arise from owners and occupants of properties as a result of the fire inspection process. Typical questions are:

Can you offer a more complete explanation of the nature of any violations? The answer is ‘yes’. The Fire Marshall would be happy to review and explain the pertinent code that is in violation.
Would you offer alternative solutions to bring violations into compliance with the Code? This seems to create the highest level of frustration to callers. The most common statement is “Just tell me what I have to do.” For liability reasons, Department members are not permitted to design corrections to any facility. We are able to offer comments and review any suggestions you or your contractor may have.
Can you allow additional time to make the necessary corrections to become ‘code compliant’? Additional time is usually not a problem, provided the owner/occupant has demonstrated that they have taken steps to comply or can demonstrate why more time is needed.

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Emergency Evacuation Procedures

Proper evacuation procedures – and knowing what you should do in an emergency - can be the difference between your survival and becoming a statistic. One of the goals of the Fire Prevention Bureau is to assist every business, school, church and multi-residential facility with the development and implementation of a complete Emergency Evacuation Plan. Is this a realistic goal? Yes, it is. Will it take time to complete? Yes, it will. Helping you to save your own life and the lives of those around you assists all emergency response personnel.

Our Fire Marshal can assist you in creating a customized evacuation plan. The plan should be designed to meet the individual needs of your particular setting, employees and residents. The North Shore Fire Department cannot design the plan for you, but the Fire Marshal will meet with your company’s representative to help refine the plan and offer suggestions.

Why would you benefit by involving the North Shore Fire Department?

In almost every case, the Department will be responding to an emergency. Understanding what the Department’s on-scene procedures are will help expedite our ability to provide aid more effectively.
The primary objective of the North Shore Fire Department is to ensure life safety. We need your help! If you know the steps to take to protect your own lives, you have provided the best assistance you can.
Accounting for everyone in an evacuation is critical. This area is most often taken for granted in most evacuation plans. Most plans are developed to move people from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in a set amount of time. Once the people have been moved, how can you account for them? The Department needs to know. Search and rescue is time consuming and dangerous.
Your emergency evacuation plan needs to address all the potential reasons that you, your employees or the public need to evacuate. Fire, flood, tornadoes, gas leaks, hazardous materials – these are all situations that our firefighters are trained to handle. Knowing what to do may save your life.
Emergency planning for your home is just as important. If you would like assistance developing an emergency plan for your home, we can help. Contact the Fire Prevention Bureau at 414-228-0292.

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