In 2013 the Fire Prevention Division continued to have a busy and very successful year. The major programs the Fire Prevention Division is involved in include: Mercantile Fire Safety Inspections, New Building Construction which includes plan reviews and field inspections, Public Education and the Weed Abatement Program. These four programs keep the Prevention Division extremely busy throughout the year and provide the greatest challenges and rewards.

Fire Safety Inspections
El Cerrito has more than 500 businesses that are inspected annually by on-duty engine companies. There are typically six types of inspections the engine companies conduct. They are: General Fire Safety, Educational Facilities, Fire Sprinkler, Fire Alarm, Hazardous Occupancy and Commercial Cooking Fire Suppression (Hood & Duct) Inspections. Many of the business that are inspected by engine companies receive multiple inspections concurrently (e.g., Fire Safety, Fire Sprinkler) and some require all six inspection types to be conducted. Of these 500 businesses, the Fire Department had a 95% completion rate. The businesses that do not comply are forwarded to the Fire Prevention Officer to ensure Fire Code compliance is met. The result of the comprehensive Fire Safety Inspection Program is one of the lowest fire losses in commercial occupancies in the state.

Read more about the Fire Dept. accomplishments in 2013 at: http://www.el-cerrito.org/index.aspx?nid=185