City of Southlake

The Fire Marshal's Office

The process of fire prevention involves providing education for the public, reviewing construction plans, conducting inspections during construction, conducting annual inspections on locations known to have hazards, and engaging investigations to determine the cause and origin of fires or related incidents. The fire marshal reviews all commercial plans to ensure compliance with the International Fire Code as it relates to fire safety issues.  In addition, the fire marshal reviews residential plans to confirm the installation of fire hydrants within easy reach of the residential structure, proper roadway or drive access to allow emergency equipment to reach the home, and similar requirements.

While prevention of fires and accidents remains the priority of Fire Services, inevitably we will experience a fire.  When that happens, the fire marshal holds responsibility for the investigation to determine the cause and origin of the fire.  This often involves several days of sifting through rubble in search of clues, conducting interviews, collecting evidence, and recreating events in an effort to solve the mystery.

This action provides two functions.  First, if there is criminal conduct, the effort is to identify the actor and bring them to justice.  But more importantly, it is desired to see if action can be taken to prevent the disaster from happening to anyone else. In this regard, the fire marshal is a fire fighter, an investigator, a police officer, and an educator.