Fire Prevention Division

About the Division

The goal of the Fire Prevention Division is to ensure structures are built incorporating the fire safety and fire suppression features mandated by the various codes and standards and to reduce and ultimately, eliminate fire and life safety hazards in inspectable buildings through code enforcement and public fire education.

The division currently follows the IFC 2015.

Schedule a Witness Test with Fire Department

(For fire suppression, fire alarms, and kitchen hood systems)

To schedule a witness test, please email fps@sterling-heights.net with your request at least 5 days in advance with your preferred date and time (any time after 10:00 a.m.).  Please include the following information:

 

  1. Address of job site
  2. Permit number
  3. Contractor contact information
  4. Type of test to be performed

We will confirm the date and time via email.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at fps@sterling-heights.net or call 586-446-2955.


Duties & Responsibilities

The Fire Prevention Division is responsible for the following duties and activities:

  • Fire System Acceptance Test Inspections
  • Fire Investigations: Photography, reporting to the state and federal governments, arson follow-up, and evidence preservation
  • Inspections: Existing buildings, new buildings, and fire systems
  • Plan Checks: Site, buildings, fire systems
  • State Inspections: Clinics, cooperative inspections, and health care facilities

This Division is also responsible for:

  • Capacity inspections
  • Complaint inspections and investigations
  • Environmental hazard mitigation
  • Fire emergency preparedness
  • Referrals to other City departments

City & County Involvement

Training is provided by department personnel and received by Division personnel. Fire Prevention personnel are actively involved in legislative improvements. The staff is active in the Macomb County Fire Marshals Association and schedules and attends meetings with Building, Planning, Engineering, Public Works, Police, and the Macomb County Health Department. Meetings are also held as necessary with architects and contractors.

The Fire Prevention Division prepares an annual report based upon the files that are maintained throughout the year. This Division maintains files on all buildings located within the City.

The Fire Prevention Division is the lead division on all fire code enforcement and related issues and the coordination of efforts between the Fire Department and other City departments charged with code and ordinance enforcement.

Service Providers

List of Registered Service Providers

If you wish to conduct business within the City of Sterling Heights inspecting, testing or maintaining fire safety systems then it is important that you understand that in April 2017, the Sterling Heights City Council approved a change to Chapter 20 of the City of Sterling Heights Code of Ordinances. Chapter 20 of the Code of Ordinances now states;

107.2.1.. Test and inspection records. Beginning September 1, 2013, all inspection and test reports relating to the requirements of this Code shall be electronically transmitted to the fire department, within seven (7) days, through an electronic information data manager designated by the City to facilitate the collection and transmission of such reports. The reports shall be in a format designated by the electronic information data manager.

 107.2.1.1. Registration required. Effective January 1, 2018, every service provider shall be registered with, and approved by, the Fire Marshal and comply with this subsection in order to perform any inspections and/or tests within the City. No fee shall be assessed for registering as required by this subsection. Failure to comply with this subsection shall be punishable first by a written warning notice, followed for subsequent violations by the issuance of a municipal civil infraction, punishable as set forth in Section 1 of the City Code. The Fire Chief shall designate, and the electronic information data manager shall advise each service provider and affected entities or properties of, the inspections and tests for which the requirements of this subsection will apply. By way of example and not limitation, the requirements of this subsection will apply to fire alarm inspections, backflow inspections, fire pump tests, and inspections or testing of sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, and emergency lighting. The Fire Chief may only waive the electronic reporting requirements of this subsection for cases of extreme hardship outside the control of the company or entity that performed the inspection and/or test.

 107.2.1.2. Approved service providers. Effective January 1, 2018, every business subject to fire inspections and/or tests within the City shall utilize a service provider that has registered with, and been approved by, the Fire Marshal. A list of such providers shall be made available at no charge upon request by a business within the City, and will be periodically updated on the City’s website. Inspections and/or tests that are conducted in violation of this subsection shall not be accepted or deemed valid for purposes of compliance with the Code. A service provider may only be disapproved or removed from the approved registrations for good cause, which includes but is not limited to lack of technological capability to comply with this subsection; refusal to comply with this subsection; a history of noncompliance without reliable assurance of future compliance; indebtedness to the City; property maintenance violations; convictions, pleas, or actions involving fraud or moral turpitude; and such other good cause as the Fire Chief may establish in an operating guideline and which is reasonably related to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare.

The requirement to submit all inspection reports via IROL has been in place since 2013. However, effective January 1, 2018 all Service Providers will be required to be registered AND approved by the Fire Marshal in order to conduct work in the City of Sterling Heights. Furthermore, all businesses will be required to use only a registered Service Provider for their required inspections. Inspections conducted by a non-registered Service Provider will simply not be accepted, forcing the business to have an inspection done by a registered Service Provider.

The Fire Marshal will maintain a list of Approved Service Providers. This list will be available on our website for businesses to select from. The registration process will serve as a verification that your company is aware of all of the requirements of the ordinance pertaining to the reporting of all tests and inspections. Failure to comply with the ordinance will result in civil infractions with escalating fees, including the ability of the Fire Marshal to remove a company from the Approved Service Providers list.

The registration process is currently underway. The registration form can be found here, Service Provider Registration Form (fillable).

If you have any questions, please contact the Fire Prevention Division by email at fps@sterling-heights.net or by phone at 586-446-2970.