The Fire Marshals office was established in January of 1996 by then Mayor Robert Henke and the Board of Trustees (Scott Middleton, Olga Wilk, Richard Cohen and John Peterson). Mission Saving lives through inspections, investigation and education--Gaining compliance through cooperation to provide a fire safe environment for the residents, businesses and visitors of Lake Grove.

Record keeping/Fire Reporting
Maintain public records regarding all fires and hazardous materials incidents within the jurisdiction. File required reports with New York State and other agencies.

Plans Review
Perform plans reviews for code compliance relating to fire protection and suppression systems on all permitted building construction and renovation projects

The Fire Marshals office reviews and approves plans for all construction, fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fixed suppression, propane/natural gas installations, carnivals, large public events and fireworks displays in the Village.

The office performs numerous site inspections during construction to ensure continued compliance and conducts a final inspection on completion of the project for the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy.

Fire Inspections
Fire code compliance inspections are performed on all non-residential occupancies (commercial and public buildings). Inspections are typically done annually. If the Fire Marshal finds any fire hazards or violations, the owner/ tenant is given a notice to correct the violations and adequate time is given for corrections to be made The Marshal then returns to Re-Inspect to verify compliance.

If the violations found present an immediate threat to life and safety, the establishment is usually shut down until the condition is corrected.
All businesses operating within the confines of the Village must apply for an operating permit each year. All restaurants, bars, nightclubs, movie theaters and houses of worship must apply for either an assembly or public assembly permit.

Permit renewal paperwork is sent by mail and after receiving the completed application; a Fire Marshal inspects the premise and issues the permit. If a business fails to apply or cannot comply, they are issued summons and or shut down.

Investigate all fires to determine the cause and origin:
The Fire Marshal makes a determination on causes of all fires. This helps to decide if the fire was accidentally or purposely set. Any purposely set fire that results in damage to property, including vehicles, grass, fences or shrubs, is considered arson under the New York State Penal Law.

The Fire Marshals office works closely with other Fire service agencies, state and local police, the BATF, FBI, Health Department, State Liquor Authority, Sheriffs department, Probation and Parole, OSHA and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Information is shared among these agencies to better understand the cause and effects of fires, investigate possibly defective or dangerous consumer products and prevent future fires.

Investigate complaints: The Fire Marshal will initiate an investigation into any complaint received from the public, the fire service, law enforcement or any other agency. These complaints include but are not limited to: fire zone violations, obstructed fire hydrants, blocked fire exit doors, overcrowding, unsafe conditions, illegal multiple dwellings, electrical hazards, open burning and fireworks sales/usage.

Hazardous Materials Incidents
Assist the fire departments in identification and isolation of any suspected hazardous materials. Request and work with Hazardous Materials response Teams in the mitigation of the incident then follow up-taking appropriate action against the responsible individuals in attempt to prevent future incidents and assure that all necessary cleanup measures have been followed.

Public Safety Education:
The Fire Marshals office regularly conducts life safety classes in private and public schools as well as to a number of the local businesses. These classes cover everything from notifying the correct agency in an emergency, evacuation planning, fire extinguisher usage and self inspection techniques.

The Fire Marshal also provides when requested, both field and classroom training to the fire departments covering topics such as fire alarm, fixed suppression and sprinkler system familiarization, occupancy and construction identification, preplanning of buildings and live burning exercises.