Fire Inspection & Code Enforcement (6th Edition)
Chapter 1 Terms
Authority, Responsibilities, & Organization

Arson
The willful and malicious burning of property.

Authority
Relates to the empowered duties of an official, in this case the fire inspector. The level of an inspector's authority is commensurate with the enforcement obligations of the governing body.

Board of Appeals
A group of five to seven people with experience in fire prevention and code enforcement who arbitrate differences in opinion between fire inspectors and property owners or occupants.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF)
Division of the U.S. Department of Treasury; regulates the storage, handling, and transportation of explosives.

CHEMTREC
The Manufacturing Chemists Association's name for its Chemical Transportation Emergency Center. The center provides immediate information on how to handle hazardous materials incidents. The toll-free phone number is 1-800-424-9300.

Codes
Rules or laws used to enforce requirements for fire protection, life safety, or building construction.

Equivalency
Alternative practices that are acceptable for meeting a minimum level of fire protection.

Factory Mutual System (FM)
Fire research and testing laboratory that provides loss control information for the Factory Mutual System and anyone else who may find it useful.

Fire Prevention Code
A law enacted for the purpose of enforcing fire prevention and safety regulations.

Immunity
Freedom from legal liability for an act or physical condition.

Liability
To be legally obligated or responsible for an act or physical condition.

Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)
A building standard designed to protect lives in the event of a fire.

National Response Center (NRC)
A federal organization charged with coordinating the response of numerous agencies to emergency incidents involving the release of significant amounts of hazardous materials.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)
A United States federal agency that develops and enforces standards and regulations for Occupational health and safety in the workplace.

Police Power
The authority that may be given to an inspector to arrest, issue summons, or issue citations for fire code violations.

Responsibility
An act or duty for which someone is clearly accountable.

Right of Entry
The rights set forth by the administrative powers that allow the inspector to inspect buildings to ensure compliance with applicable codes.

Sanction
A notice or punishment attached to a violation for the purpose of enforcing a law or regulation.

Standard
A document containing requirements and specifications outlining minimum levels of performance, protection, or construction.

Tort
A wrongful act (except for breach of contract) for which a civil action will lie.