South Lake Tahoe creates new fire inspector position

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department has been unable to keep up with completing the duties of fire inspections due to reduced staff and an increased work load for the busiest fire department in the basin.

When the position of Fire Marshall was eliminated during 2011 budget cuts the tasks fell upon the fire department. SLT Fire Chief Jeff Meston said that his department currently lacks the expertise to complete the fire inspection duties.

In the current situation, it may take the Fire Department up to two weeks to inspect a local strip mall due to emergencies and other calls. A person dedicated to fire inspections could do the same area in one day.

Meston addressed City Council on Tuesday, telling them of cost effective and reasonable solution to two problems with the hiring of a Fire Inspector. Not only would the person hired for this job complete the fire inspections for the City but they'd also be cross trained for building inspections.

At one time the Fire Marshall from the Lake Valley Fire Department helped the City out but with different fire codes between the two entities that proved to not work.

The new employee will educate businesses on the importance of fire and public safety. The business owner will be shown how to fix any found issues and be given time to correct. Fines will be a last resort.

The City wants to provide service and help businesses comply with safety requirements.

"It will be nice to bring back service to the community," said City Manager Nancy Kerry.

The person hired will have to have either a Building Certificate or a Fire Safety Certificate, though both would be preferred.

Fees will be charged to the businesses for inspections based on the approved fee structures for the square footage of a business.