The Fire Department is preparing to embark on a comprehensive citywide inspection of commercial properties and public sites to assess the safety risk to firefighters and the public in the event of an emergency.
The assessments are required for the department to become accredited, Fire Chief Mike White said, and will be funded through Federal Emergency Management Assistance to Firefighter grant.
Chief White detailed the grant during the City Council's Sept. 4 workshop. The checks will be coordinated by one of the department's veteran fire captains and involve both online research to learn building information as well as on-site inspections.
"You look at the building itself, what type of systems are in the buildings, such as public access, limited access, fire alarms, how often is the site open?" Chief White explained.
Other factors, such as construction, storage of hazardous or potentially dangerous materials will be taken into account as well.
"This will be put into a formula, and a risk level assigned," the chief continued. "There's a ton of variables in these buildings."
The inspections will go beyond fire danger.
"You look at all variables, whether floods, winds, fire, hazardous materials, our geography - the desert - and the heat.
"We're not looking for Circle Ks. Those are free-standing buildings and there are not a lot of hazards there. We're worried about places like schools, daycare centers, skilled-care facilities, large industrial buildings.
We'll look at type of construction, size of the building, whether it's above or below ground and the distance between the building and the next."
Nursing homes will be checked as well, including the number of on-site residents, how many are ambulatory, and the staff size.
While this information will not only aid firefighters and emergency responders in strategy, it could also prevent a situation from becoming a major tragedy.
"This is one of those proactive steps," the chief said.
The assessment is expected to get under way later in the year. The $36,785 grant will largely fund the cost of time and resources spent on inspections. Surprise won the grant in competition with other agencies nationwide after submitting its application about eight months ago, Chief White said.
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