Fire risk assessment and fire plan

Fire Chief Ted Ross, is working at making the old part of the city hall complex safe. Safety is the intent of the fire risk assessment and fire plan.

The old building, (original school building) is around 100 years old. It is a old heavy timber wood structure that creates a number of challenges when it comes to emergencies. The Senior Center and cafeteria, Kids Zone, and Tenmile Watershed are housed in the building.

Many issues have to be taken into consideration. The age of the building, construction, location and proximity to other buildings are of significant concern. Access to the building is limited and possibility exists in a high occupancy time there could be injury and or death.

This ways heavy on Fire Chief Ross, his number one concern is for his firefighters and the occupants in the building. Ross said, “I am working closely with the State Fire Marshal to review several evacuation plans. Focus will be on staging areas, ways to safely extinguish a fire and evacuate in case of an emergency.”

The highest fire fatalities occur in children from zero to five years old and seniors. An occupancy ratio will be established after all issues are evaluated. There will be potential fire drills and pre-fire planning. Ross says that, “keeping occupants safe is his highest priority.”

The process will take approximately eight weeks. The State Fire Marshall and Fire Chief Ross will be measuring and designing how many people will be allowed in the building at one time. There was an occupancy limit before the remodeling was done to the building and a new one was never established.

An occupancy limit was established by Chief Ross and the State Fire Marshall after the August regular city council meeting for the council chambers. Ross said that, citizens that were at the September meeting complained to him and the State Fire Marshall about overcrowding. “They felt crushed, confined, and trapped.”

When Ross was asked if he was concerned about being accused of creating an occupancy limit at city hall because of the recall, he responded, “no, he was concerned for the safety of his firefighters and the citizens of Lakeside.”