Certified fire inspectors from Worthington Fire & EMS maintain a constant goal of regularly conducting a physical inspection of each commercial building in the city.
Prior to each inspection, administrative staff review our electronic master database of addresses and contact a building representative to make certain our list of tenants and emergency contact information is accurate, and to schedule the inspection. After any needed edits are made to the database, the inspector downloads this and reviews any previous violations in preparation for the inspection.
On the scheduled date the fire inspector meets a building representative (usually a property or maintenance manager) on-site and begins the physical survey. We always ask for this individual to accompany the inspector so they can assist with entry to common area and utility spaces that tenants may not be able to access. This also allows the inspector to discuss and explain in more detail any fire code violations.
Following the inspection our personnel complete a report of their findings and upload this to the same master address database. A copy is emailed to the building representative and the specific tenant with an estimated return date for a re-inspection to assure any violations are corrected or in-process.
The amount of time necessary for each inspection is contingent upon the building size, number of tenants, and amount of specialized infrastructure. If there are hazardous materials being stored or fire protection such as sprinkler systems or alarms in-place, the process will take longer.
For additional reference, here is a fact sheet with the nine common fire code and safety violations we encounter during inspections in the Worthington fire protection district.