Since a new administration took over in the City of Las Vegas, local residents and business owners have probably noticed some significant changes in recent months. In addition to a new mayor and city manager, the city also has new personnel inside the community development department who have placed a renewed focus on keeping business licenses and fire inspections up to date across Las Vegas.
Fire Chief Steven Spann, who has worked in the City of Las Vegas for several years, and was officially promoted to his current position in 2022, said he has seen a significant improvement in the city’s fire safety since he took over the department, and he said those changes continue to take place, especially now that all businesses are following proper procedures and making sure they are compliant with the city’s fire code.
“Something that seems like common sense to some people may not be to others,” Spann said. “That’s why inspections are so important.”
Since January, the Las Vegas Fire Department has issued 129 permits to businesses within city limits, and another 350 businesses are currently working their way through the fire inspection process. These inspections have been required, technically, for years. But this is the first year that the process is being properly enforced, with every business being officially notified of the need to be inspected to have their business licenses renewed.
Spann said that this has allowed him and his team of inspectors to go inside all of Las Vegas’ businesses and identify potential issues that the average citizen would not be able to understand. This can be as simple as the need for a smoke detector within five feet of a microwave inside an office building or having a fire extinguisher installed. It can also show a need for serious work to be done if major fire hazards are present.
Once an initial fire inspection is completed, businesses have 30 days to rectify any issues that were identified before a follow-up inspection is completed. Spann said the city wants to work with business owners to get these issues resolved, but they need to see a “good-faith” effort from the business owners. They will be flexible on the timeline if it’s clear an effort is being made to fix issues, but they will get “strict” if nothing is being done.
The fine for fire code violations is $500 per violation per day, which may seem like a steep price, but as Spann says, “You can’t put a price on a life.”
This is an important point to remember, particularly for business owners that may be frustrated going through a process that they may not have been forced to in previous years. Scheduling an inspection and making necessary changes may not seem important at the time, but if an issue arises, nothing is more important. Lives and property can be saved through these small efforts, and it’s all in an effort to make the community safer for everyone.
Those efforts can also save everyone money in the long term. The more businesses become compliant with the fire code, the lower insurance rates will become for homeowners and businesses across the city. Making Las Vegas a safer place and a lower fire risk can significantly improve the city’s ISO rating, an independent evaluation conducted annually that determines how well the city fire department can protect the community. This information is given to insurance companies and helps inform them how much to charge for business and homeowners insurance. The higher the risk the higher the rates and vice versa.
This past year, the city received its best ISO score in years, and Spann is optimistic that trend will continue now that it is being made a serious priority for the city.
Spann said his team of inspectors has been kept incredibly busy since the beginning of the year, inspecting up to six businesses per day and scheduling follow-up inspections at nearly every location. Though it keeps his team busy and leads to some frustration among business owners, he is happy that their efforts can make a big difference in the community.
“Small measures can make a big difference,” Spann said.
The city’s commitment to making sure everywhere is fire code compliant showed earlier this year, when the city’s recreation center was temporarily shut down due to fire code violations that needed immediate fixes. The shutdown allowed those changes to be made and it was reopened, safer for everyone. Safety comes first, no matter who owns a property.
Since the system is new, late fees for businesses have been waived this year, because getting every business fully inspected and licensed was an impossibility by the end of March with so many new measures being implemented. In future years, though, there will be a $3 late fee for businesses that don’t get fully inspected and licensed on time.
The fire department will be spacing out inspections throughout the year moving forward, lessening the burden on their inspectors and making sure every business receives the time and attention they deserve. An online portal is also being finalized right now that will allow business owners to schedule their inspections virtually and will allow homeowners and business owners to provide valuable information about their home and business to the city so they can be prepared if disaster strikes.
“We are making it easier for the community, while maintaining that personal touch they expect,” Spann said.
Nobody ever wants to consider the possibility of a fire igniting. But with a renewed focus on fire safety and preparedness, the City of Las Vegas is better prepared than ever before to deal with a crisis and keep everyone safe. Fire safety requires the cooperation of everyone, and the City of Las Vegas hopes their recent efforts will help everyone be more aware of fire hazards and allow everyone to be a little bit safer inside their homes and inside every local business we know and love.