| I received a call this week
from a pastor whose church had just constructed a large metal
building, including the concrete floor slab and the plumbing
beneath it. Because they were located in a rural area, they
constructed the building without a building permit. He was calling
to ask me to design the interior of the building after the fact.
I informed him that he should have applied for
a building permit from the State Fire Marshall’s office, and
that his plumbing was most likely in the wrong place.
When he applies for a permit to finish the building,
he will most likely face a hefty fine for constructing a church
without a permit, and will probably have to relocate his plumbing
and install more doors for exits. The remediation costs they
are facing would probably have paid for most or all of the architect’s
fees.
This is a common problem in rural Oklahoma,
although it’s been known to happen within Tulsa city limits
also. Building without a permit not only can be expensive in
the long run, but dangerous as well. Places of assembly, where
large groups of people gather, pose a serious risk to life if
inadequate or improper exits are not provided.
That’s where the State Fire Marshall’s office
comes in. The State Fire Marshall’s office has several duties.
They are educators about fire safety. Through
their Public Education Division, they educate the public about
fire safety in the home. They also work with local fire departments
and other public safety agencies to help identify ways to prevent
death and injury from fires.
Fire Investigators from the State Fire Marshall’s
office are spread throughout the state, collectively investigating
over 750 fire scenes per year. They have found that approximately
one-half of the scenes that they investigate are the result
of arson.
The Fire Marshall’s office also has an arson
dog, a black labrador retriever named Annisette, that is trained
to detect petroleum-based accelerants that are used to set fires.
Most people don’t realize that agents of the
State Fire Marshall’s office has police powers, and at times
their jobs can be dangerous.
About ten years ago I was in their office reviewing
a project with an agent when one of the other agents came in.
The other agent said, “I need some ammo”, and the one I was
meeting with said, “you know where it’s at”. He opened the door
on a large metal storage cabinet, which was filled with ammunition.
I was surprised at what I saw , so I asked him
why they would need so much. I was told that it was because
they have to investigate fires in rural areas and sometimes
come too close to someone’s marijuana patch. Occasionally they
have to defend themselves from gunfire. I was also told that
in rural areas, firefighters will not go to some places without
an armed escort.
The State Fire Marshall’s office is also responsible
for issuing building permits for projects that are located where
there is no local building department having jurisdiction. This
covers virtually all of rural Oklahoma, and many small Oklahoma
towns. They will review drawings for code compliance, issue
the permits, and make inspections during construction.
Their agents are empowered to make surprise
visits to public buildings, especially schools, to conduct safety
inspections. They can issue citations for infractions, but their
main focus is to create conformance to codes for safety reasons,
not to harass. They have been known to make surprise visits
to churches from time to time, and now that many churches are
holding school in their buildings, they can be expected to show
up without notice.
If your church wants to be prepared for a surprise
visit, the State Fire Marshall’s website (just type in Oklahoma
State Fire Marshall in the search line) has a very useful checklist
that can help your church be prepared. It is actually a checklist
designed for schools, but I found that many of the items can
be applied to churches as well. Attached to the checklist is
an explanation of each item to help you understand each requirement.
I have always found the people at the State
Fire Marshall’s office to be very helpful on the projects I
have done with them. They are very conscientious and courteous,
but no-nonsense when it comes to their job. They are underpaid
and understaffed, and frankly need our support by giving them
our cooperation. These are the folks that are going beyond the
call to keep us safe.
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