Fire Inspection Reminder to Installers
The Brentwood Fire Department is proud of the service we provide to the inhabitants of Brentwood. Members work tirelessly to uphold their oath to protect life and property.
Working to improve services, the Fire Prevention Division has noticed many outstanding permits that we haven’t conducted inspections for; verifying NFPA compliance. Several reasons apply to why the permits / inspections are not complete, but the most likely cause is a lack of communication.
Below is a reminder of the steps to ensure the permit process is complete. By complete, we mean the work is inspected.
- Acquire permits as required and submit the proper fees for each.
- If plan review is needed, submit one copy of the plans
- Allow the prevention division significant time to review the plan. If you don’t hear from the Inspector, follow-up.
- If the design originally submitted for the permit / plan changes contact the Brentwood Fire Department; resubmit “as-built” plans or contact the Department for “minor changes.”
- It is the INSTALLER’S responsibility to ensure all inspections are completed.
- It is the installer's responsibility to ensure all other permits required by other town departments are submitted.
Open permits are considered void if over six months passes without a final inspection. A new permit will be required before further inspections are done. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Robert Tuttle, Fire Inspector
Fire Department: (603) 642-8132, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00am - 2:00pm
Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Smoke alarms save lives by providing early detection and warning of a
fire. Did you know that on average, fire doubles in size every minute?
Combine that with everyday household items like furniture and
construction innovation, and your firefighters face an enormous
challenge referred to as time. According to the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA), between 2012-2016, smoke alarms were present in
three quarters and sounded in fifty percent of residential fires
reported in the United States. Conversely, the NFPA also reported that
three out every five fatal homes fires did not have smoke alarms during
the 2012-2016 time span. New Hampshire has a more frightening trend. In
an awareness promotion, New Hampshire Fire Marshal Paul Parisi released
that as of October 4, 2020, all the fatal homes fires in the State (in
2020); none had confirmed working smoke alarms. Please, if you do not
have smoke alarms, install them in your home. If you have smoke alarms,
please ensure they work by testing each one and change the batteries
when you adjust your clocks twice a year.
Another danger lurks that can be more deadly then smoke. Carbon
monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas created during improper
combustion. Fuels used for heat, including wood, oil, propane, and coal,
emit carbon monoxide. People at high risk for carbon monoxide
poisoning, even at low concentrations, include infants, anyone with
breathing problems, heart conditions, and pregnancy. In 2017, 399 people
died from unintentional carbon monoxide exposure, according to the
Center for Disease Control. Symptoms of carbon monoxide are often mild
and confused with the flu. In more extreme cases, death can result.
Let us take this opportunity to remind you to have your heating
system cleaned yearly by a professional. Do not run a vehicle (or any
internal combustion engine) in a garage. Vehicles produce an
extraordinary amount of carbon monoxide in a short time. Did you know
that carbon monoxide can kill a person in as little as 1-3 minutes in
some instances? If you have a portable generator, do not run them in a
garage. Only run a portable generator in a well-ventilated area at least
ten feet from your home.
Install carbon monoxide alarms on each floor of your home, and like
your smoke alarms, ensure they stay in working order and change the
batteries simultaneously with your smoke alarms. If your smoke alarm or
carbon monoxide alarm sound, please immediately evacuate your home and
call 911.
If you have questions about smoke alarms or carbon monoxide
alarms, please contact the Brentwood Fire Department at (603) 642-8132.