DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The Decatur Fire Department is adding two fire inspectors several years after the positions were eliminated. Three fire inspectors retired in 2020 and the positions were not filled.
“We’ve come to an agreement with Local 505,” Fire Chief Jeff Abbott told WAND News. “Part of that agreement was the reinstatement of two of the three fire inspector positions.”
Testing for the two positions is already underway. The fire inspectors are being hired from within the department.
“For us and a city this size and the number of businesses out there that need these inspections and the safety messages that our fire prevention bureau puts out it’s extremely important,” Abbott stated.
The inspectors also investigate suspicious fires. Those duties have often been handled by the office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
Decatur Firefighters in 2023 (Courtesy Decatur Fire Department)
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