Increased installation of automatic fire detection and suppression systems will continue to reduce fire loss and fire protection responsibility will continue to shift to the private sector. Engineering Dept., Utility Dept., and the Zoning and Planning Departments. I propose to expand that to voluntary home inspections as well. Because of the number of multiple occupancy buildings, this effort could be quite difficult and consequently I am recommending the immediate hiring of an additional full time fire fighter to coordinate fire hazard analysis and code enforcement for life safety and structural integrity. This is NOT a punitive effort for code violation but an educational effort for fire safety.
Planning is a basic step in fire protection management.
Timely and dynamic fire protection planning provides the basis for current and future fire risk and efficient use of fire prevention service, safety education, and hazardous material control. The fire fighting service has changed as our communities have changed. The strictly volunteer fire department, once the social knot that united our community has become the victim of our peripatetic way of life and the social pressure that has changed the fabric of our community. I have been a lifelong resident of Walker and raised my three daughters here with my wife Gerri. As Mayor and Commissioner for the past twelve years, I have never and will never allow there to be an insufficient level of fire protection within this community.