6001 Commercial Building Inspections (PREVENTION AND PREPAREDNESS)

Question 1

Who is responsible for:

1. Overseeing the overall Commercial Building Inspection Program
2. Managing the code development and adoption process
3. Ensuring BITS is operational
4. Maintaining this document

Answer 1

Deputy Chief of Prevention and Preparedness

Question 2

Define

Hazardous Occupancy

Answer 2

Buildings or structures or portions thereof manufacture, process, generate and/or store materials that constitute a high fire, explosion and/or health hazard.

Question 3

Define

ICC.

Answer 3

International Code Council.

Question 4

Define

Multi-family residential structures

Answer 4

• 5 or more units or
• more than 5,000 square feet of floor space or
• more than 3 stories and
• common interior hallways or
• common laundry facilities

Question 5

The goals of the TFD Commercial Building Inspection Program are

Answer 5

a. Eliminating loss of life due to fire
b. Reduction of fire-related injury and property loss
c. Compliance with Washington Survey and Rating Bureau standards for fire inspection frequency

Question 6

Retroactive installation of the following may be required in multi-family
dwellings based on inspection findings

Answer 6

a. Fire alarm system
b. Standpipe system
c. Hardwired smoke detectors

Question 7

TFD will have in place programs to

Answer 7

a. Ensure inspectors become ICC Fire Code Inspector certified or the
equivalent
b. Train Company Officers to conduct basic Fire Code inspections

Question 8

TFD personnel shall inspect all assigned hazardous occupancies semi-annually

Answer 8

a. One inspection shall be done by Operations personnel

b. One inspection shall be done by the assigned Fire Inspector

Question 9

Company Officers shall conduct at least

Answer 9

two re-inspections, attempting to

see that violations are corrected.

Question 10

Company Officers shall not routinely re-inspect Tacoma Schools. After the Company Officer conducts the initial inspections, s/he shall

Answer 10

forward fire inspection reports to Prevention and Preparedness personnel for coordination with and compliance by the school
district’s maintenance department

Question 11

Company Captains shall:

a. Use BITS to assign specific inspections by month to all four shifts by

Answer 11

the 15th of January each year

Question 12

In the absence of a Company Captain, the Senior Lieutenant shall

Answer 12

assume responsibility for overseeing company inspections.

Question 13

What policy number is Commercial Building Inspections

Answer 13

6001

Prevention and Preparedness

Question 14

If no inspection assignments have been given to a Roving Officer or firefighter working up as a Company Officer, then s/he shall

Answer 14

conduct at least one fire inspection per Monday-Friday (non-holiday) shift when s/he is working unless specifically directed otherwise by the permanently assigned Officer or Company Captain.

Question 15

TFD personnel shall report the following inspection findings as violations

Answer 15

Multi-family residential buildings, three or more stories in height or with 16 or more units, without a fire alarm system

Question 16

TFD personnel shall use the following to make referrals to Prevention and
Preparedness Bureau personnel

Answer 16

a. The electronic referral tool in BITS
b. Interoffice mail to send the BITS generated Referral Report and the
written Fire Inspection Report form

Question 17

Offsite monitoring for sprinkler system water flow and valve tampering is
required for most fire sprinkler systems with

Answer 17

more than 20 sprinklers.

Question 18

Multi-family residential buildings, three or more stories in height or with
16 or more units, require a

Answer 18

fire alarm system.

Question 19

Standpipe systems are required in multi-family residential buildings that
are

Answer 19

4 or more stories in height, not including basements.

Question 20

Multi-family Residential

Hard-wired smoke detectors with battery back-up are required within

Answer 20

individual dwelling units.

Question 21

Documentation

Company Captains shall

Answer 21

a. Compose a Company quarterly inspection status report for all shifts that includes an explanation for all outstanding assigned inspections
b. Develop a written action plan for completion of outstanding inspections
c. Submit status report and action plan to his/her Battalion Chief within 7 days of the end of the quarter

Question 22

Battalion Chiefs shall

Answer 22

a. Compose a quarterly summary report of battalion inspection status that includes an explanation for all outstanding inspection assignments
b. Submit the quarterly summary report to the Assistant Chief of Prevention and Preparedness within 14 days of the end of the quarter

Question 23

Inspectors shall complete ICC Level I Fire Code Certification within

Answer 23

the first 6 months of assignment to the Prevention and Preparedness Bureau
and Level II within the first 12 months.