District Fire and Safety

Businesses should be aware of ongoing fire inspection schemes that primarily target small businesses with unsolicited fire inspections. Typically representatives make unannounced service calls to businesses claiming to be the authorized service company for their safety fire equipment. Some operators dress in uniforms which resemble local fire official's uniforms and imply they have been sent by the Fire Department or represent themselves as actual Fire Department officials. They claim they are sent to inspect the company's fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment. After a brief examination of 5 to 10 minutes they put a sticker on the fire extinguisher ask for a signature on a survey form to verify that they have inspected the equipment and leave. Within a short period of time invoices are sent out by mail for the inspection service or multiple inspections which can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars and include a W9 form to make it look official. The return address is often a PO Box and no company phone number is provided. Furthermore these schemers are not doing any real inspection and may lead a business to falsely believe their equipment is up to code and operating efficiently.~~We urge caution. Businesses across the nation should caution their employees to be on alert for anyone coming to their offices shops stores or restaurants to service their fire extinguishers or to conduct maintenance on automatic sprinkler systems. Always ask for identification from any unsolicited visitor claiming to be on official business asking to inspect your property or equipment. Contact the local fire department or local authorities and confirm if the representative is authorized. Be wary of unfamiliar personnel wearing uniforms with patches similar to those worn by fire department staff giving the impression that they are from the fire department. Official inspectors arrive in official marked vehicles not private unmarked cars. Most often when officials are done with their inspections they leave a written copy of the findings on a form that has the Fire Department official seal. Businesses can contact their local Fire Department to verify the validity of any invoice they have received regarding inspection services and have the right to dispute any bills for work they did not authorize or that was performed under false pretenses. ~