Stop, Drop and Roll! School children have heard this over and over, sometimes in the form of a song. Our Fire Chief, Jim Reese, is famous for his musical rendition of the song and his guitar playing. But generally it is the Fire inspector, Rob Devies, who does the educational programs in the schools. And Rob says he stays as far away from a guitar as he can get.

The Fire inspector, under the authority of the Fire Chief, is responsible for many duties within the Fire Department. Rob Devies says, "In a nutshell I am responsible for inspections, investigations, and education." The Fire inspector is the "right arm" of the Fire Chief, according to Mayor Toni Middleton, former Fire Chief of our city.

The Ohio Revised Code says the Fire Chief is the authority with jurisdiction over the Ohio State Fire Code. The City of Alliance is a statutory city and thus has adopted the State Fire Code by enacting City of Alliance Codified Ordinance 1501. That sounds confusing, but it simply means the Fire Chief is the main man (or woman) and he (or she) designates the responsibilities of the Fire Prevention Bureau and the Fire inspector. Our current Inspector has been with the Fire Department for 12 and a half years and has been a Fire inspector for around five years.

The Fire inspector is responsible for inspecting the over 400 businesses in the city. He also inspects group homes, daycare's and schools. Rob goes with the State Fire Marshall to inspect nursing homes and hotels, for which the State is responsible. Rob also works closely with the city's Engineering and Building department for inspections of work in progress.

Rob is also responsible for investigations of suspicious fires of undetermined origin. The fire inspector does 40-45 inspections annually to find out, as Rob says, "what happened here." Undetermined origin doesn't necessarily mean we have a bunch of arson fires in the city. All fires have an origin. It's up to the Fire inspector to determine that origin. He also works with the Police Department detectives when the investigation of a real suspicious fire goes beyond the line of his expertise. Rob gained his expertise by attending the National Fire Academy Arson School. But he readily admits that most of his expertise has come from on the job training and particularly from the late David Shuster, a long time Fire inspector for the city.

Some fire safety tips for the holiday season: If you have a live tree, water it a lot; watch where you put candles and don't leave them burning unattended; and check your Christmas lights and extension cords to make sure they are in good shape. Yes, you've heard these tips over and over again. But the life you save may be very important to you.