At a recent Duncanville City Council meeting, a question was raised about the city’s fire code and when it would be updated. We contacted Duncanville Fire Department Chief Sam Rohde, who sent this explanation for our readers.
“Our current use of the 2015 International Fire Code is consistent with what has been adopted, and is currently in use, by several different cities and counties that follow the recommendations of North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG),” Chief Rohde said.
NCTCOG Review of International Fire Code
“A new version of The International Fire Code (IFC) is released every three years and NCTCOG conducts an extensive review of each new version. The reviews are labor intensive, are conducted by numerous experts in the field of fire and public safety, and usually take more than a year to complete. Once the reviews are complete, NCTCOG will make recommendations on any amendments to the IFC that cities and counties should consider when adopting a new version,” he added.
“Cities and counties can then deliberate on the NCTCOG’s recommendations to determine if they are a good match with their respective practiced approaches to fire protection and public safety overall. Cities and counties can then adopt a new version of the IFC as originally published, or adopt a new version with NCTCOG’s recommended amendments. They can also adopt a hybrid version using some of NCTCOG’s amendments and not others, and/or with amendments that the city or county decide is most appropriate for their communities.”
Duncanville Fire Chief
Chief Rohde said, “Duncanville chose the hybrid approach when it adopted the 2015 International Fire Code on March 7, 2017. (Follow the link to read Ordinance No. 2298). https://duncanville.civicweb.net/filepro/document/7334/Ordinance%20No.%202298%20-%20Fire%20Prevention%20and%20Protection.pdf
“Historically, the City of Duncanville has adopted updated versions of these codes every six years,” Chief Rodhe said.
The highly anticipated opening of the new Duncanville Fire Station #1 on Camp Wisdom Road is on track for this fall. For more information, please call 972-780-4920.
