Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by eric on November 17, 2007 at 4:43pm

congartulations moose,

the best advice i can give is to keep informed. i mean to stay up to date on the codes and ordinances you will be enforcing. too many times ive seen enforment officers not know the stuff theyre pushing on people and they look dumb as heck in court when they have to explain why they did what they did and what they based the decision on. The NFPA codes are a good basis of knowledge.
i'm sure you'll do a great job

eri

Permalink Reply by Terry Moore on December 13, 2007 at 8:28pm

Know what code of record that you are inspecting against. I am not sure where you are inspecting, but some areas can have multiple codes to reference depending upon the time the structure was built or modified. This can have a great impact on what the requirements are for items as occuancy, travel distance, fire barrier ratings, etc... Also, there are firms that you or the company can employ to do the inspections that have been trained and have extensive experience in code compliance and inspections depending on how detailed that you get. Feel free to keep in touch on this and good luck. I agree with Eric, know what you are telling people and most importantly, if you don't know, don't try to BS your way through it. Noone is expected to know all the codes all the time.

Take the time to research the facility you are inspecting prior to your arival. A little background information about the facility can go along way. It also helps the occupant or "customer" feel like you know somthing about them and may help them to open up and talk to you. Not just an inspector showing up to give them a hard time.

This job has alot to do with educating the inspectee.

TMoore

Permalink Reply by Patrick Bradshaw on January 3, 2008 at 11:14am

Learn good time management skills. Education is a better tool than citation. Keep in mind that the goal is not to write citations but obtain code compliance. Obtaining it through education is a much better tool. For example; why not meet with school officials in the summer prior to the start of school and go over fire drill requirements, decoration limitations, safety (door wedges, etc), extension cords and so on. Feel free to look over the attached file and revise it as needed to suit your needs.

Attachments:

• HorryCoSchoolsTrng.ppt, 19.5 MB

Permalink Reply by Ken Carr on January 14, 2008 at 4:59pm

I have found that patients and understanding go a long way. I try to instill in my inspectors that we want to achieve compliance through education. Most clients do not willingly not comply with codes and standards, they either don't know them or understand the importance of them. Educate them and your job will be much easier.

Permalink Reply by Moose on January 15, 2008 at 5:01pm

Thanks everyone, I do apreciate the advice! I started the first class today, Intro to Codes, and will be done with the training by June...Wish me luck.

Thanks all!
Moose

Permalink Reply by Jim Sills on April 2, 2008 at 9:37pm

Ken has the right answer.... Code enforcement is best if you emphasize education, once that is in place, the enforcemnt aspect is alot easier. Best Advice, Be firm but be fair.

Permalink Reply by Bill States on February 22, 2011 at 9:27pm

Moose,
I would also recommend looking into attending some of the National Fire Academy's classes dealing with code enforcement (Fire Protection for the Built Environment, or the Principles of Fire Inspection) classes. They will give you great information on how to enforce the code and why the codes were put in place.