DEPARTMENT: SAFD
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Charles N. Hood
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Briefing on the San Antonio Fire Department Fire Prevention Division and Programs
SUMMARY:
The San Antonio Fire Department provides the highest level of professional service to the public by protecting lives, property, and the environment while providing life safety community education. The SAFD Fire Prevention Division is instrumental in fulfilling this mission through its many functions and programs. This briefing will inform the Council Public Safety Committee of how the Fire Prevention Division is structured, how the various teams within the group fulfill the mission, and a summary of active prevention programs.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The San Antonio Fire Department Fire Prevention Division’s thirty (30) member group has three (3) main subdivisions; the Office of the Fire Marshal, Fire Inspections, and Community Safety and Education. Fire Prevention utilizes a budget of $5.8M with revenues from permits and fees totaling approximately $2.2M. Another $1.5M in revenue is realized from the HAZMAT facility permit process and related fees.
The Office of the Fire Marshal is responsible for the development and enforcement of the adopted Fire code. This office works closely with construction and industry stakeholders on code adoption and code amendments every 3 years. It oversees code modification requests and serves as the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for all code related issues.
Fire Inspections, lead by a Division Chief, conducts all fire code inspections on new construction fire systems, certificates of occupancy, system modifications, and code enforcement in existing buildings. The group conducts case investigations based on citizen concerns and complaints. The group also performs plan reviews for certain fire permits.
Community Safety and Education (CS&E), also lead by a Division Chief, is responsible for public fire safety education, commercial building fire warden training and fire drills, and the youth fire prevention and intervention program. The team manages the smoke alarm installation program, “HomeCheck” safety inspections, and Sparky the fire safety dog program. The group oversees the “L.I.F.E. Leaders in Fire Education” program. The program, partnering with the Texas Burn Survivors Society, is a department wide effort educating 2nd and 5th grade students on fire safety throughout San Antonio Schools. CS&E also manages the specialized inspection group consisting of the high-rise inspection program, hospital/healthcare/boarding home inspections, and the HAZMAT inspection program.
The HAZMAT inspection team consists of one Captain, one Lieutenant, and two Fire Engineers of the SAFD Fire Prevention Division. The team conducts the plan review of all hazardous material storage tank permit applications and conducts the specialized inspections once installed. They also inspect all hazardous material storage and use facilities on a periodic basis as part of the HAZMAT permit ordinance. The current HAZMAT facility list contains over 2700 customers.
Another subdivision of CS&E is the Special Events Office. This group evaluates life safety in large assemblies and assists with providing fire watch duties for venues such as the Alamodome, ATT Center and the Henry B. Gonzales Conventions Center. They conduct floor plan review for hotel and convention set ups. They issue pyrotechnic permits for indoor and outdoor displays including Fiesta Texas and COSA New Year’s and 4th of July events. Temporary street closures and modified occupant loads at large facilities or outdoor events fall under their purview. The team is also responsible for the Night Club Permit process along with associated inspections.
RECOMMENDATION:
This memo is for briefing purposes only.