Annual Fire & Life Safety Inspections
Catoosa County Fire Department's Fire Marshal's Office conducts Annual Fire & Life Inspections of local businesses (does not include commercial buildings in the unincorporated areas of Catoosa County). To request an inspection, please contact our office at (706)861-4194 or at glenn.davis@catooa.com.
The following is an example of common items that the Fire Inspector will look for during an Annual Fire & Life Safety Inspection. This is not an all-inclusive list.
The exterior of the building/unit:
Address numbers shall be posted on the front of the building in numbers large enough to be clearly visible from the street. These numbers shall be a minimum size of four-inch numbers on a door or six-inch numbers on a building and in a color contrasting to the background on which they are attached. If the occupancy is in a multi-tenant building, the address should also be posted on all other exterior doors to the occupancy.
Correct keys in the Knox Box key box.
Fire Department Access - No parking lanes and signage present and maintained
Fire Hydrants - All hydrants are accessible, visible, and operational.
Fire Department Connection (FDC): FDC is accessible, unobstructed, and has the proper signage.
Exterior Utilities: Gas and electric meters are labeled in multi-tenant buildings.
The Interior of the building/unit:
Exit signs are properly placed, functional (110V and battery back-up), clearly visible, and unobstructed.
Emergency lights are properly placed and functional.
Portable Fire Extinguishers:
Portable fire extinguishers are present, mounted on walls or columns as required.
Portable fire extinguishers are fully charged, free of damage, and unobstructed.
Portable fire extinguishers have a current yellow inspection tag from a third-party inspection company licensed in GA affixed to each extinguisher.
K-Class portable fire extinguisher(s) have the proper signage above the extinguisher(s).
Fire Sprinkler System:
Fire Sprinkler System has a current green inspection tag from a third-party inspection company licensed in GA affixed to the system.
All old inspection tags shall be maintained with the system. They can be affixed to the system or placed in the document cabinet.
Fire Alarm System:
Fire Alarm System is functional with an in-date NFPA 72 Fire Alarm Inspection & Testing Form showing no deficiencies in the system in the document cabinet.
Fire Alarm System devices (pull stations, horns, and horn-strobes) are visible and unobstructed.
Kitchen Hood Exhaust System
Hood exhaust ducts shall be cleaned to bare metal from the roof down to the filters by a third-party cleaning company at least quarterly or more often as necessary.
Kitchen Hood Suppression System
Kitchen Hood Suppression System has a current blue inspection from a third-party inspection company licensed in GA affixed to the system.
Exits and Exit Access is clear and accessible.
Exit Doors have the proper hardware installed, are unobstructed, and easily open with one motion.
Doors Signage:
Rooms containing certain systems shall be labeled:
Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP)
Fire Sprinkler Riser
Electrical
Mechanical
Electrical, Mechanical, and Fire Sprinkler Riser rooms are maintained free of storage.
Electrical Panels hall have all circuits labeled or a card should be placed inside the panel indicating what each circuit controls.
Electrical switches, outlets, and junction boxes shall have proper cover plates installed.
Extension cords are used on a temporary basis and not as a replacement for permanent wiring.
Relocatable power taps (power strips) with built-in breakers are plugged directly into hard-wired outlets and not into other power strips or extension cords.
Rated fire barriers, partitions, and walls are labeled and maintained with no unprotected openings or penetrations.
Flammable and/or combustible liquids are properly stored in UL listed flammable storage cabinets.
General housekeeping and required aisle widths maintained.
Any other obvious potential fire and life safety hazards for occupants or firefighters.