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Fire Marshal's Office
About
The Fire Marshal's Office is tasked with providing city comprehensive fire prevention and education to the citizens of La Vergne. This office is also responsible for fire codes enforcement and fire origin and cause investigations. The city fire marshal supervises this division.
Education
LFRD is committed to not only stopping fires but preventing them. To educate La Vergne, the department regularly holds classes and demonstrations to teach residents how to prevent fires and other emergencies at home or work. LFRD is also present for citywide events such as Old Timers' Festival and National Night Out. Each LFRD Fire House is open to the public for tours. If you have a group of over five, please contact the Fire Administration building to schedule a date and time. LFRD will gladly assist in all emergency planning for commercial business and provide first-aid and CPR training upon request. Fire extinguisher classes are also available.
Codes and Enforcement
Currently, the 2018 International Fire Code is adopted as an ordinance for fire code enforcement. La Vergne also uses the National Fire Protection Association, Life Safety Code, 101. The fire marshal's office does conduct fire inspections. Inspections start and proceed throughout the entirety of a construction process. For a full list of required inspections, please contact the fire administration building.
LFRD conducts annual pre-fire planning and inspections of each commercial property. Property owners wishing to request additional inspections may do so by contacting the fire administration building.
Plan Review
The fire marshal's office does conduct plan reviews for all new construction and modifications of existing buildings. A full set of construction plans must be submitted to the fire marshal's office for review. Each set of plans submitted must be stamped before they will be processed. PDF versions will be accepted for consideration after special permission. Each set of plans must have contact information submitted during the time of submittal.
Permits
All burn permits are issued through the Fire Administration building during normal business hours. A commercial burn request must have an on-site inspection before issuance. Commercial burns include but aren't limited to: industrial burns, home building and land clearing.
Investigations
Each fire that LFRD responds to receives an investigation into the origin and cause of the fire. If the reason is determined to be criminal, investigators will determine appropriate charges for the suspect(s) and see the investigation through the entire judicial process. LFRD investigators hold Law Enforcement authority per the Tennessee Code Annotated and will arrest all arson-related crimes.
LFRD is also partnered with several different agencies to assist in fire-related investigations, including the Rutherford County Arson Task Force, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosions Agency (ATF).
Fire Watch Program
The Fire Watch program is a temporary measure intended to ensure continuous and systematic surveillance of a building by at least one qualified individual selected by the fire marshal for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire and notifying the fire department. A qualified individual can be either a certified firefighter or a member of a third-party company approved by the fire marshal.
A representative of the building will need to contact the fire department at least 72 hours before the requested window of surveillance to coordinate personnel for the Fire Watch.
As for public assemblies and events, at the fire marshal's discretion, a place of assembly shall provide a Fire Watch in accordance with IFC Section 403. Not fewer than two trained crowd managers, and not fewer than one trained crowd manager for each 250 persons or portion thereof, shall be provided for the gathering.
When is a Fire Watch required?
- A fire alarm system is fully or partially out of service and life safety is a concern.
- A sprinkler system is fully or partially out of service and life safety is a concern.
- A fire pump is out of service and life safety is a concern.
- Other conditions as required by the fire department.
When a Fire Watch is in progress a Fire Watch Log Sheet shall be maintained for the duration of the impairment. The log shall be made available to the fire department upon request.
Canceling a Fire Watch - It is the owner/occupant's responsibility to cancel the Fire Watch when the fire protection systems have been restored. Once canceled, the owner/occupant shall contact the fire department to inform them the repairs have been completed.