Fire Inspections, Prevention & Plan Reviews

Fire Inspections

The State of Wisconsin requires all fire departments to conduct semi-annual fire inspections of all commercial buildings, including apartment complexes. When a department completes all of the required semi-annual fire inspections, they receive what is called "2% dues" from the state, which acts as another source of revenue for the department. These inspections are conducted twice per year for most occupancies, although some are exempted to once per year based on their use. The Village of McFarland has adopted the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code of property maintenance inspections.

If you recently moved into or purchased a building in our service area, please complete the Fire and Rescue Occupancy Update Form (PDF), and send the completed form to email fireprevention@mcfarland.wi.us so we can update the contacts in our system and start the pre-planning process for the building.

Plan Reviews

McFarland Fire & Rescue Department is a delegated agent for the State of Wisconsin for fire protection and alarm systems.  The Fire Inspector/Public Education Specialist reviews all building plans for any new construction, remodels, sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, and makes sure the proposed plans/buildings/renovations comply with the currently applicable codes relating to fire protection features. The State of Wisconsin uses Chapter SPS 314 (Fire Prevention) of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the 2015 edition of the International Building Code, as the current codes.  The Village of McFarland has also adopted Appendix D of the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code for fire department access to buildings and developments. 

All plans for Fire Protection systems should be sent to us prior to work starting on said system(s). If work is started on the system(s) prior to the plans being approved, a work stoppage order will be issued and in effect until the plan review is completed and given conditional approval. 

Electronic PDF submissions to email fireprevention@mcfarland.wi.us are preferred and payment with a copy of the completed Fire Protection System Work Permit Form (PDF) being mailed. Paperwork given to us for plan review should include three copies of the system plans to a one-eights of an inch equals one-foot scale, any and all spec sheets relating to equipment included in the system, and the completed Fire Protection System Work Permit Form (PDF) with payment.

McFarland Fire and Rescue is considered an "Agent of the State." What this means is that we can review and approve plans for fire alarm and sprinkler systems on behalf of the State. Because of this, builders and system designers can submit those plans directly to us, and do not have to submit them to the State. This speeds up the process as we typically have a plan review completion time of about two weeks or less.