OUR VIEW: County should OK position of fire marshal

Staff Editorial
Published: October 6, 2008

» SUMMARY: Establishing a fire marshal position within the county’s building department makes sense.

As Culpeper County officials consider whether to create the position of fire marshal, we can’t help but think it’s a good idea whose time has come.

And while economic times are tight, the upside will likely outweigh the relatively small expenditure of taxpayers’ dollars.

As it stands now, comprehensive enforcement of fire codes is done by the state fire marshal’s regional office in Sperryville. But with Culpeper’s rapid growth, it makes little sense to depend on a state employee in a neighboring county who is being pulled in many directions.

With the right training, a fire marshal can also serve as an arson investigator.

And that’s important because the county’s last arson investigator, a 10-year-employee of the Sheriff’s Office, was terminated when Sheriff Jim Branch took office in January.

Ever since, this county has been in a tight spot, operating without an arson investigator (the State Police currently handles that task) and, obviously, without a fire marshal. Now is the time to do something about it.

Designating a fire marshal to work in the county’s building department would be a good start. We encourage the Culpeper County Personnel Committee, which is researching the proposal with the county’s top building official, to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors.