The commercial inspection program began with the creation of the Bureau of Fire Prevention in 1993. The power to do inspections was originally adopted by the City of Soldotna’s Municipal Code before the bureau existed. To date, over 3300 business inspections, including certificates of occupancies, have been completed. Today, the Bureau of Fire Prevention attempts to inspection over 300 occupancies on an annual basis. This does not take into count the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and the possibility 4th re-inspections, which may occur with any one occupancy. Following a 4th re-inspection, with no signs of correcting the remaining violations, a final notice is issued, instructing the occupancy they have five days, from the receipt of the notice, to correct the violations or they may be summoned to court by the City of Soldotna. The penalty, under the Municipal code classifies such violations to be a misdemeanor, with a monetary penalty of $1000.00 per violation, per day, originating back to the original date of the inspection. Presently 31 final notices have been issued to occupancies within the city limits of Soldotna, without any notices resulting in a court action.
Time frames incurred to complete the necessary inspections vary throughout the year due to the weather conditions and time of the year. Spring, summer, and the beginning of fall see increasing activity towards annual inspections, certificate of occupancy permits, and follow-up inspections. Under the deferment from the state fire marshal’s office, buildings with occupancies following under the A- Assembly (churches, restaurants), E-educational (schools, day-care), I-Institutional (Hospital, health care facilities), H- (Hazardous), and certain R-Residential (lodges, motels, hotels, apartments) take priority over other occupancies inspections within the city limits of Soldotna.
Commercial Inspections
A Occupancies (Restaurants, Taverns/Bars, Churches, Etc)
- a. Restaurant
- b. Taverns/Bars
- c. Churches
- d. Other Assembly
B Occupancies (Banks, Fire Stations, Post Offices, Professional Services, etc).
- a. Businesses
E Occupancies (Educational K-12 Grades, Day Care, Etc.)
- a. Schools
- b. Day-Care
F Occupancies (factories, depending on the hazard occupancy)
- a. At this time, none.
H Occupancies (buildings or structures that involve the manufacturing, processing, generation, or storage of materials that constitute a physical or health hazard.
- a. Repair Garages
I Occupancies (Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Child Care facility 24-hour care)
R Occupancies (Boarding houses B & B’s, Hotels, Motels, Apartment Houses (4-plex, etc.), B & B’s
- a. Hotels
- b. Apartments
- c. B & B’s
- d. Lodges
S Occupancies (Storage buildings)
U Occupancies (Tanks, Towers, Fences, Barns, etc.)
M Mercantile ( Retail businesses)
The total number of occupancies located within the City of Soldotna is approximately 429, with 60 being acquired before the City of Soldotna became deferred from the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Knox Box Program
Under the fire codes, authorities having jurisdiction have the ability to enforce the installation of Key boxes, if the occupancy is restricted because of secured openings or where immediate access is necessary for life-saving or fire-fighting purposes. More and more occupancies, within the fire district, are either highly recommended or required to install Knox Boxes, depending on the enforcement powers of the authority having jurisdiction. Outside the city limits of Soldotna, recommendations for Key Boxes come to surface when dealing with private gates to communities or developments, or when occupancies voluntarily initiate the program.
Knox FDC Cap Program
Under the International Fire Code, authorities having jurisdiction have the authority to require locking caps on fire department connections for water-based fire protection systems where the responding fire department carries appropriate key wrenches for removal.
