Fire Prevention Services

The Lake Mary Fire Prevention Division provides many services to the community. In addition to teaching fire safety and conducting fire investigations, our office is a critical part of the development and maintenance of all the commercial and multi-family residential buildings throughout the City. Listed below is a short description of the services provided.

Plans Review

When a new building is built or changes are made to an existing building, the Fire Prevention Division conducts a thorough review of the architectural plans for compliance to the current State and local codes.

The review includes, but is not limited to, ensuring construction elements meet or exceed the prescribed standards, ensuring fire protection systems are designed to national standards, exiting (stairwells, doors, locks, lighting, etc) is sufficient and all required life safety features are provided as mandated by Code.

Once the plans are approved, the construction is allowed to start and inspections of this work begin. These inspections continue throughout the construction phase (see below).

New Construction Inspections

All new and renovated buildings are inspected by the Fire Prevention Division. These inspections are done to verify that the approved plans were followed, all fire protection systems are installed properly and necessary function tests are performed, proper construction elements were used, exiting is as approved, measured as sufficient and locking arrangements are proper. We also ensure that there were no unapproved changes made during the process and that conditions inside the building remain safe during the construction process.

The inspections are recorded and kept on record, thus leading up to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy/Completion in conjunction with the Building Department.

Annual Maintenance Inspections

The Fire Prevention Division conducts annual inspections of all the businesses located within the City limits. These inspections are conducted to help business owners identify areas within their building that are potential fire hazards and/or life safety concerns. We also use this time to provide fire safety education and offer training to the employees and staff. Keeping our business members and their visitors safe is a top priority for us.

During an annual inspection there are many things that we look for; however we have developed a list of the items commonly looked for. Please remember this is just a list of the most common and is not all inclusive.

View the Inspection Checklist (PDF).