Oklahoma State Fire Marshal - Duties and Powers

Duties and Powers

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is responsible for enforcing the State Fire Code. OSFM's law enforcement agents investigate crimes of arson statewide in conjunction with city and county law enforcement officials. In conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Mines and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, it is the duty of OSFM to enforce all state laws governing the transportation, storage, and use of explosive devices.

To ensure compliance with the State Fire and Building Codes, OSFM requires a permit be obtained from its office prior to the construction of many types of buildings anywhere in the state. OSFM examines plans and specifications of certain types of new construction or remodeling to ensure minimum safety standards are meet. Many cities across the state, however, have adopted the State's fire and building codes. In such cases, OSFM approval is granted upon inspection by the local officials and the issuance of a local building permit. Those cities which have not adopted the State codes fall under the jurisdiction of OSFM and must obtain a building permit from it prior to the beginning of construction. In all cases, OSFM is authorized to provide technical assistance assist any city, town or county in the enforcement of the fire and building codes.

OSFM compiles and documents every fire in the state by receiving annual incident reports from all fire departments in the state as required by law. This information is collected under the Oklahoma Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS) as directed by the State Fire Marshal Commission and reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System. OFIRS is used to gather and analyze information on the state's fire problem, as well as its detailed characteristics and trends.

At least once a year, OSFM is required to inspect for minimum safety standards all correctional institutions operated or licensed by both the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs.

OSFM serves as staff to the Oklahoma Council on Firefighter Training.