Prevent and educate, and you won't have to investigate. Right? That's how the West Lafayette Fire Department's Fire Prevention Division sees it. That's why the Fire Prevention Division's primary responsibilities include educating the public through lectures, outreach programs, and school visits; preventing potential disaster with inspections, plan reviews, and a free smoke detector program; and, if necessary, investigating.

Under the direction of Deputy Chief of Inspections Tony Schutter, the Fire Prevention Division is an essential component of West Lafayette Fire Department's commitment to protect those who live, work, and play in our City. The Fire prevention Division works hand-in-hand with the Building Department to ensure the safety of the community, from the ground up. This starts with pre-design meetings with architects, contractors, and owners. This covers pre-design building reviews through the final building inspections and everything in between, including: 

• Reviewing site and construction plans for all new commercial occupancies, apartment complexes, and subdivisions
• Examining all the fire protection plans (fire alarm, sprinkler, and alternate suppression systems) 
• Performing necessary new construction inspections
• Conducting existing site inspections and necessary compliance inspections
• Plan Review and Inspection Process

Once a building exists, the Fire Prevention Division ensures fire safety by performing annual inspections and verifying code compliance, including: 

• Building address compliancy
• Egress components compliancy
• Sprinkler systems and components compliancy (annual reports required)
• Fire pumps/standpipes systems compliancy (annual reports required)
• Fire alarm systems compliancy (annual reports required)
• BDA systems compliancy
• Emergency generators compliancy (annual reports required)
• Fire extinguishers compliancy (annual reports required)
• Smoke control systems compliancy (annual reports required)
• Cooking hoods compliancy (annual reports required)
• Cooking hoods cleaned from grill to exhaust fans
• Private fire hydrants maintained (annual reports required)