The City Fire Marshal enforces the International Fire Code, the Life Safety Codes and Ordinances, and conducts investigations involving fire.  As a licensed peace officer, he is authorized to summon witnesses, execute warrants and make arrests.

The Fire Marshal works closely with Community Development, addressing sub-standard housing issues.  One primary focus is conducting fire safety inspections of local businesses, concentrating on high-risk facilities such as hotels and restaurants.  If code violations are found, a list of problematic issues is presented to the business, and ample time is given to address and resolve these issues.  Repeated failures to correct violations will warrant the issue of a citation.

The primary focus of the Fire Marshal will be Fire Safety inspections of the local businesses. Although the Fire Marshal is authorized to issue citations for code violations, all businesses will be given a written list of any issues found during inspection and sufficient time will be allowed to correct those issues. Only after repeated failures to correct violations will any citations be issued.

The most common violations 

• Failure to have a fire extinguisher or fire extinguisher is out of date
• Using extension cords in place of permanent wiring
• Failure to keep breaker boxes accessible and/or properly labeled
• Failure to have Certificate of Occupancy and/or Occupancy load posted

Fire Marshall Cary will also be focusing on fire lane violations. It is a violation to park your car in a fire lane, even for “just a minute.”  Marshal Cary believes the key to keeping everyone safe is community involvement and public education. He hopes to work with community groups as well as business owners in making Hillsboro a “Community of Choice.”