Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
Fire Marshal Division
Fire prevention is the most vital non-emergency function the fire service provides. National best practices
suggest that prevention programs include the five E’s of emergency response, education, engineering,
enforcement, and economic incentive. In addition, fire prevention offices should meet the requirements of
NFPA 1730: Standard on Organization and Deployment of Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement,
Plan Review, Investigation, and Public Education Operations. Under the New Hampshire Revised Statutes
Annotated (RSA) 154:2 and New Hampshire Administrative Rule SAF-C 6000, the Fire Chief is responsible for
the administration and enforcement of the New Hampshire State Fire Code. The Fire Chief then delegates
that authority through the adoption of NFPA 1, Uniform Code, 2015 edition.
Fire investigations are also the responsibility of the Fire Chief under New Hampshire RSA 154:7 and are
delegated to others under New Hampshire RSA 154-7 a Il. All of the aforementioned functions are vital
components of a model community risk reduction program.
The duties of Nashua Fire Rescue’s Fire Marshal's Office are shared among a full-time Administrator, a Fire
Marshal, and two Fire Inspectors/Investigators. The Department previously had a Public Educator position;
however, the funding mechanism was removed in the 2006 fiscal year budget.
The Fire Marshal's Office operates out of the Lake Street Community Fire Station. Staff members work four
10-hour days. The office is staffed Monday through Friday from 0700 to 1700. At the time of this report, there
was no on-call coverage after normal business hours. Availability of staff after hours for enforcement,
questions, and fire investigations was reported to be about 50% of the time. When staff is not available,
complaints, code enforcement, and investigations are generally followed up the following business day. Staff
within the Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the current operational model is challenged by coverage gaps,
a lack of ability to perform inspections, staffing, workload, and funding.
The present staffing level does not allow for regular inspections to be completed at all target hazard
occupancies such as apartment complexes and multi-family dwellings. These occupancies are often only
inspected when a complaint is generated by a tenant, landlord, or the building official.
The office recently switched from IMC software management system over to Alpine Red MNX. Staff report
the new system to be more user friendly, thus allowing for improved data management and statistical
analysis.
Just prior to ESCI's site visit, the Fire Marshal’s Office had made a transition to placing the majority of the
permits issued by the office online. This has helped streamline the process for both office staff and
contractors and has been met with very positive feedback from both.
During 2019, the Fire Marshal’s Office conducted 3,170 inspectional/investigative activities. This equates to
the Fire Marshal and the two Inspector / Investigators conducting an average of 1,056 activities each during
the calendar year.
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ESC) Consulting International 81
