By NICOLE CARTRETTE

The county may be in trouble with no full-time certified fire inspector in place to conduct high priority public school inspections due in December.

Public schools must be inspected twice per school year and the last school inspection was conducted in March –leaving another inspection of those facilities due before the year is out.

“Our fire codes consultant says there are a couple of options,” Kristin Milam, assistant public information officer with the N.C. Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal Office, said Thursday.

The county can contract with another jurisdiction, bring someone in who has the proper certification or utilize an employee who is approved but works in a different department, she said.

Institutional inspections require a Level III certification. County Manager Jim Varner said two part-time employees, employed with the City of Whiteville, will be conducting inspections as needed. Varner said Whiteville Fire Chief John Cook and firefighter Shannon Blackmon have been on staff part-time for years and the department has not been in any kind of trouble for not having a certified fire inspector on staff.

Varner said he did not know if inspections were up-to-date or not. “As far as I know they are up to snuff, I don’t know if they are up or not,” Varner said, indicating there had been no complaints.

Inspection timelines are set by the state fire codes and the county fire prevention ordinance. Institutions, such as nursing homes and daycare facilities, must be inspected every year. Industrial structures, foster care homes, group care homes and certain mutli-family dwellings must be inspected every two years. Businesses, storage facilities and churches must be inspected every three years.

According to a Fire Protection and Prevention ordinance adopted in October 2004, it is the responsibility of the fire marshal’s office to issue all fire prevention permits, conduct all fire inspections for the county and enforce the provisions of state building codes related to fire prevention in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Ray Reeves, head of the county building inspections department, has a Level III classification, in all areas but not fire certification provided through the county fire marshal’s office. Last week both full-time employees assigned to the county fire marshal’s office resigned amid allegations they were given the choice to resign or be fired.

Ronnie Hayes, who resigned Sept. 19, was hired June 16, 2003 as the county EMS director responsible for EMS, 911 and addressing. More than a year ago, Hayes was also put in charge of the county fire marshal’s office. In March 2005, fire marshal Jerry Avery resigned and has not been replaced.

Apprentice Fire Inspector Kevin Thompson, from the Cerro Gordo area, was hired April 2006 and resigned Sept. 20. He was in charge of investigating fires, answered to Hayes and attended his first arson training less than two weeks ago.