By Doug Nelson, State Fire Marshal
As our summer months come to a close, I wanted to take time to share a number of items that are “heating up” in the fire service. It’s kickoff week for the Fire Department Certificate of Existence program, managed by our office. That means all 350+ fire departments have until October 31st to submit their Certificates of Existence. Please note a couple of the big items that we need to verify through this include fire reporting status and minimum requirements of a Public Protection Classification of a 10. We also made some upgrades to the system, so please let us know if you run into any issues or have any questions or comments. Visit our website here to get started Fire & Rescue | North Dakota Fire Marshal.
The International Association of Arson Investigators recently changed their certification requirements for fire investigators. In response, we’re working to expand fire investigation training opportunities in collaboration with the North Dakota Firefighters Association. We plan to post an online training course with them that will result in further tested training hours for fire investigators who are working towards certification. A certified evaluator must verify each investigator’s experience, and our office is working to ensure certified evaluators are available throughout the state. Currently we have three fire investigators who are certified, and we hope there will be more over the next few months.
I will be traveling to Biloxi, Mississippi this month to attend the National Association of State Fire Marshals Annual Symposium. The conference will provide important, new information for fire investigators, fire inspectors, code professionals, training, and state response coordinators. This year’s theme is “Disaster Never Sleeps,” and will prepare our states and local jurisdictions for events that continue to threaten our communities. For more information or questions about this conference please visit National Association of State Fire Marshals - 35th Annual NASFM Fire Prevention & Safety Symposium.
We are excited to be starting one of our two vacant deputy fire marshal positions this month. Our new position will be filled in Devils Lake. As soon as they finish training and orientation, we will get them acclimated and out working in their district. Please look for more information in the coming months and an introductory blog by the new deputy fire marshal. Our second vacant position closed with no applications, but we are hoping to reopen it soon. If you are interested, please keep an eye out on the Insurance Departments website here Careers | North Dakota Insurance Department.
Lastly, three legislative studies related to fire and emergency services are gearing up to begin. The first—focused on volunteer recruitment and retention—is scheduled to kick off on August 20. If you’d like to follow along or be part of the conversation, keep an eye on the Legislative Council’s website: Emergency Response Services Committee | North Dakota Legislative Branch. It’s critical for the fire service to have a strong voice at the table during these discussions. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can help with. I hope you all have a safe and great end of the