FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION

Fire Marshal

Office location: 1401 Center Avenue, at Lincoln Street.

Office Hours are 7:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. year round

Telephone: (989) 892-2701

FAX: (989) 892-4920

                The primary function of the fire service is the protection of lives and property, and the best way to do this is through fire prevention. Fire prevention includes all activities that reduce the number or severity of fires. These activities include, but are not limited to, fire prevention inspections, code enforcement, building plans review, fire investigation, and public fire safety education. The Fire Marshal, or the Fire Awareness Unit carry out most of the department’s fire prevention activities. The fire marshal is the only person assigned to that office, but he supervises the Fire Awareness Unit and the two Fire Awareness Officers (fire inspectors) assigned to that office.

FIRE PREVENTION, FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION

                The City of Bay City has adopted the 1993 Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA) National Fire Prevention Code. In adopting this code the city made necessary additions, deletions and amendments to allow the code to conform to local conditions. The National Fire Prevention Code was written to avoid conflicts with the BOCA Building Code that was also adopted by the City of Bay City. The BOCA building and fire codes are updated and reissued every three years, and the next update is expected in 2000.

                The Bay City Fire Code is contained in this computerized information system. Questions about the fire code can be directed to the Bay City Fire Marshal's Office at (989)892-2701. Please note that schools and hospitals are under the control of the State of Michigan. Information on the model code, or copies of it can be obtained from Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., 4051 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, Illinois 60477. They can be reached by telephone at (708) 799-2300 or faxed at (708) 799-4981.

                The goal of a fire prevention inspection is to protect lives and property from the effects of fire by discovering and correcting deficiencies defined by code or in the law. The fire marshal or fire inspector addresses four specific areas in an effort in an effort to protect the building and it’s occupants. The first area is preventing fires from starting. The second area is once a fire has started what precautions can be taken to prevent the fire from spreading. The third area addresses insuring that the building’s occupants can safely escape from the building in an emergency. The final area includes insuring fire protection systems and equipment, such as alarms and sprinklers are installed and operating correctly. All these factors are addressed in the Bay City Fire Code, local ordinances, or state law and provide the fire inspectors their legal basis for action.

                The fire marshal or fire inspector will try to educate the property owner or occupant to bring about voluntary compliance with the code. It is important to remember that many of the items contained in the code came about due to single fires that killed many people or destroyed a large amount of property. These were lessons that were hard learned, and they should not be repeated. If voluntary compliance can not be obtained the fire marshal or inspector will start administrative actions to bring about enforcement of the code, and if that fails legal action is taken in Bay County Circuit Court.

                The interpretation of the BOCA National Fire Prevention Code by the fire marshal or fire inspectors can be appealed to the Fire Code Board of Appeals. Please see the Fire Code Board of Appeals section for more information on this process.

                The review of building plans allows the fire marshal to insure that all new buildings meet the fire code before they are built. It’s far more cost effective to detect a fire code problem before the building is built than to have it changed after the building is completed. In the past the Building Department approved the construction of buildings based on the building code, and the fire marshal had to try to enforce the fire code after the fact. The current system insures fire safety, and is more cost effective to the building owner.

FIRE INVESTIGATION, FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION

                Fire cause investigation is done for one of two reasons. First it aids fire prevention by identifying problems that would require education or legislation to correct. Secondly it identifies fires that were caused by arson or other criminal actions.

                The cause of many fires can be determined by the fire company officer or the on duty assistant chief from the Fire Fighting Division. The fire marshal or a fire inspector will be called to determine the cause of the fire if fire officers at the scene can not, if the fire resulted in injury or loss of life, major property loss, or if the fire was suspicious.

                Members of the Fire Prevention Division have been trained and equipped to determine the cause of fires, take photos of the fire scene, gather laboratory samples, and other criminal evidence if needed. If the fire was determined to be a case of arson, members of the Fire Prevention Division will work with the Bay City Police, or the Michigan State Police, and the Bay County Prosecuting Attorney's Office to bring the case to court

Fire Investigators Reconstructing a Fire Scene

FIRE AWARENESS UNIT, FIRE PREVENTION DIVISION

Fire Awareness Officers

Office location: 1401 Center Avenue, at Lincoln Street. 

Office Hours are 7:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m. year round.

Telephone: (989) 892-7775

FAX: (989) 892-4920

                Two Fire Awareness Officers staff the Fire Awareness Unit and each is a Michigan Certified Fire Inspector. The primary function of this unit is to reduce the number of fire deaths and injuries in the City of Bay City through public fire education, with the majority of their funding coming from Federal Block Grants. This unit operates under the supervision of the Fire Marshal, and can carryout all the functions of the Fire Prevention Division that includes, but is not limited to, fire prevention inspections, code enforcement, building plans review, fire investigation, and public fire safety education. See the Fire Prevention Division for a more detailed description of those functions.

                Fire safety education is designed to develop or change the attitudes and behaviors of the citizens as they relate to fire. To do this the Fire Awareness Unit delivers specific programs to school children, senior citizens, juvenile fire setters, and the general public.

                The school program provides training to children from preschool through the fifth grade. There are approximately 4,500 children within this grade range in the City of Bay City in both public and private schools. The programs are developed to meet the needs of each grade level for maximum effectiveness. Fifth graders also use the fire safety smokehouse to learn how to escape from a smoke filled home.

Public Fire Safety Education

Programs for senior citizens are delivered at the senior citizens' high rise apartment buildings, and senior meal sites. The majority of the unit's programs target school children and the older citizens because they suffer a very high percentage of all fire deaths and injuries. Primary attention is placed on the home because most fire deaths and injuries occur here.

                The Fire Safety Smokehouse was built as a joint effort between the City of Bay City, the Bay City Fire Fighters Union, and several businesses in the area. The trailer is taken to training sites and used to train the public about fire safety in general, and specifically how to escape from a smoke filled house. The unit uses a machine that makes non-toxic artificial smoke to simulate an actual fire condition. The Fire Safety Smokehouse is an outstanding teaching tool. The late City Commissioner Carol Wesenick was instrumental in obtaining city funding for this project.

Bay City Fire Department Fire Safety Smoke House

JUVENILE FIRE SETTER EDUCATION PROGRAM, FIRE AWRENESS UNIT

                The Bay City Fire Department's Fire Awareness Unit provides a juvenile fire setter education program for children that are residents of Bay City, and who have been found playing with matches or setting fires. The inspectors have attended seminars that have taught them how to work with children in an effort to change their attitude toward fire. This program is free of charge. For more information contact the unit at (989) 892-7775.

SMOKE DETECTOR PROGRAM, FIRE AWARENESS UNIT

                The Bay City Fire Department's Fire Awareness Unit operates a smoke detector program that provides free smoke detectors for homes that do not have a working smoke detector. The occupants must live in the City of Bay City and own their home. They must also have a low or moderate income. The unit will install the smoke detector for senior citizens and the physically handicapped. This program will also replace the batteries for free on a yearly basis, if requested. Renters are not provided with free smoke detectors because city ordinance requires landlords to provide them in their rental properties. Renters who live inside the City of Bay City and need help with the enforcement of this ordinance should contact the Bay City Code Enforcement Office at (989)894-8162. For more information contact the unit at (989) 892-7775.