City of Monroe, LA

"The Fire Prevention Bureau serves a vital role within the City of Monroe Fire Department as it relates to preventing the loss of life and property to the citizens we serve in our community."

This task is done by performing the 3 E s' of fire prevention: Engineering, Enforcement, and Education. These methods allow our division to be very successful in carrying out our yearly goals.

Engineering is comprised of designing a safe building through a professional architect or engineer while utilizing the appropriate codes. Enforcement is comprised of enforcing the appropriate codes such as the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 101 Life Safety Codes and any other codes deemed appropriate through NFPA, and City of Monroe codes and ordinances while conducting fire inspections.

Education is comprised of educating our most precious resources, the citizens that we serve in the community through hands-on training, visuals, lectures, robots, and other computer technology. Fire Prevention Week, which occurs during the first week of October each year, is a great time for our department to market and promote fire prevention and fire safety techniques to the students of our public and private schools throughout the school district, businesses, civic organizations, churches, elderly population, and to the community as a whole.

Other roles that the Fire Prevention Bureau performs on a daily basis are conducting fire inspections for a certificate of occupancy when a citizen is wanting to open a business or other endeavors; inspections on new construction and renovation projects within the City of Monroe while enforcing the appropriate codes; annual inspections on all existing buildings throughout the City of Monroe; inspections on life safety and fire protection equipment such as fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, kitchen fire suppression systems, exit lighting, emergency lighting, inspecting fire rated walls, and smoke detectors tied into HVAC systems, computing occupant load capacity on the different types of occupancies, and investigate all reported over-crowding at our local nightclubs. Last but not least, we also investigate complaints from the citizens and make a diligent effort to try to resolve these complaints in a proper manner.

All forms can be retrieved by going online to the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's web site.