ROGERS (KFSM) — Sometimes we think a tragedy like what happened in Oakland could never happen in our area, but the Rogers Fire Department knows it can.
The City of Rogers is combining its Fire Marshal’s Office and the Building Inspections Department to help close any gaps in communication when inspecting buildings.
An Oakland Councilman said complaints were made regarding the warehouse, but inspections were never carried out. The Building Department there said it’s inspectors hadn’t gone into the warehouse since at least 1986.
Now that The City of Rogers offices are working together, there is less room for mistakes. Rogers Fire Department Chief Tom Jenkins said they would much rather focus their energy on preventing tragedies and saving lives long before there’s a problem.
Jenkins said with the Building Department and Fire Marshal working separately towards the same goal, the process now easier, faster and more safe.
It’s called the Risk Reduction Plan and it categorizes buildings into three levels; the highest risks being warehouses and larger buildings. To also prevent slip ups, there is a team that inspects the city’s buildings one by one.
Inspections are meant to help keep buildings safe and while it may seem simple, there’s a chance 36 lives in Oakland could have been saved with a process like this one.
“That’s really what it’s all about for us,” Jenkins said. “Making sure we’re doing our jobs to prevent the loss of life both for civilians and our fire fighters.”
For more information on the Rogers building codes or permit applications, click here.
