Pacific Grove re-launches fire inspection program

Fire prevention inspections will pick back up in Pacific Grove after going without them for about 5 years.

The Monterey Fire Department covers fire services for Pacific Grove and announced the program will be re-established this month.

Three recently hired part-time inspectors will help with checks at 258 buildings around the city including multi-family residential buildings, schools, care facilities and businesses.

Monterey Fire said inspections stopped in 2012 when former Pacific Grove City Manager Tom Frutchey began looking for different inspection methods. Since then, fire inspections have been done on a complaint basis and for all new construction. All scheduled inspections of existing buildings and businesses were suspended, according to Monterey Fire.

Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer said the department’s goal is to work with property and business owners to make sure the community is safe.

“Life safety is our highest priority and an important part of achieving that is to conduct regular inspections of occupancies,” Panholzer said. “We work to educate property and business owners on how they can make their properties safe and come into compliance with fire and life safety codes.”

Monterey Fire said inspections of residential properties will begin in March and other properties will start in May.

“Conducting fire prevention inspections is an important function that the city provides to the community to keep it safe,” Pacific Grove City Manager Ben Harvey said.

Harvey said he’s hoping to have all multi-family residential buildings inspected by the end of 2018.

Anyone with questions about the program can call 831-646-3900