By Doug Nelson
I would like to highlight that I recently had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC and participate in the Congressional Fire Safety Institutes Annual Symposium. During this symposium, I was able to participate in meetings with other State Fire Marshals and take courses. We were also afforded the opportunity to meet with our congressional delegation (or their representatives) and advocate for the North Dakota Fire Service. Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread, Fargo Fire Chief Steve Dirksen, Williston Fire Chief Matt Clark and I worked to communicate the importance of funding the Assistance to Firefighters Grants, funding the United States Fire Administration, and other ways to help the fire service.
As we head into the summer travel season, our fire safety focus for the month will be hotel and motel fire safety in North Dakota. Hotels and motels are an increased fire safety risk due to the unfamiliarity of guests with the rooms/buildings, heavy use by transient occupants, and most of the time we are in a hotel room, we are sleeping and unaware of fire and other safety risks.
One way that the United States Fire Administration (USFA) encourages hotel and motel fire safety is through the Hotel and Motel list of approved properties for Federal Travelers. The Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act of 1990 encourages fire safety in places that offer lodging to the public. For a lodging facility to be registered on this list, it must have at least one hard-wired smoke alarm in each guest room and must have an automatic sprinkler system if it is four stories tall. The State Fire Marshal’s Office, in partnership with the ND Food and Lodging Division, manages the properties that apply to be on this list. If you are looking for hotels that meet the USFA safety requirements, you can find them here.
Please enjoy the start of your summer and contact our office with any questions.
