CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Annaville Fire Chief is advocating creating a position for a countywide fire marshal to the Nueces County Commissioners Court.
The idea unanimously was approved by all Nueces county fire chiefs.
The goal is to establish a countywide fire code for the safety of all the county’s residents.
Right now, areas outside the city limits – known as unincorporated areas -- do not have a fire code.
"They don't have to put in an alarm system, they don't have to have a sprinkler system, and they don't have to be inspected for safety reasons," said Annaville Fire Chief Michael Clack.
With a new fire marshal and a countywide fire code, residents’ safety would be a priority -- enabling surrounding areas to grow.
"The biggest part of it is reviewing plans and construction to make sure that they're built to a standard, and then annual inspections to ensure they're still safe," Clark said.
The fire chiefs in Nueces county currently are studying the success of other counties who have their own fire marshals, to finalize details of what this new role would look like.
Commisioners will meet again Oct. 30 and look further into possibly adding a fire marshal to oversee Nueces county.
