In a press release last week, Ogden City announced Mayor Ben Nadolski would be issuing a series of directives to city departments “aimed at reducing fire risk and ensuring rapid, coordinated response to any future incidents.” This comes in the wake of the Aug. 8 fire which destroyed an apartment complex that was under construction in addition to other construction site blazes that have occurred throughout the year.

According to the press release, the following order was issued to area contractors.

“By order of the Fire Chief and effective immediately, all commercial, elevated, and multi-unit residential construction projects must comply with enhanced safety requirements under the International Fire Code (IFC 2021), including:

• “Perimeter fencing of at least 6 feet with locked gates after hours.
• “Secured first-floor openings to prevent unauthorized access.
• “Accessible fire extinguishers every 75 feet, properly mounted and inspected.
• “Daily removal of combustible debris and enforcement of no-smoking areas.
• “Standpipe installation before structures exceed 40 feet in height.
• “Surveillance and/or fire watch when required by the Fire Marshal in stages of high vulnerability.”

On Tuesday, Ogden City Communications Director Mike McBride told the Standard-Examiner that 82 notifications were sent to contractors with structures that are recognized by the city and fire department as vulnerable.

“We’ve had a response from all of them at this point,” he said. “Everybody has been contacted and acknowledged that they’ve read and received these. These orders are effective immediately. It depends on what the status is of their build, but depending on what state they’re in of construction, they need to comply with certain levels of these directives along the way.”

He said the city has seen a positive response from the directives and that contractors have been complying.

“While we have the desire and obligation of public safety, they want their sites secured because they want to have success getting their builds complete, so the response has been really great from all of the contractors,” he said. “During this process, we observed 12 sites that were in the highest priority categories, and we’ve had almost immediate response and action taken from all of those building sites.”

The press release said that compliance will be verified through scheduled and unscheduled site visits.

This latest effort isn’t the first time the city’s reached out to contractors about securing sites against fires. Following the Jan. 25 fire that destroyed an under-construction apartment complex in downtown Ogden, fire officials sought to collaborate with developers and contractors on how to better secure sites from fire.

“The biggest difference this time around is the very direct nature of communication with contractors where our fire marshal has been in touch directly with every one of them,” McBride said.

In the press release, Nadolski said this is about making the community’s safety a top priority.

“These are all-hands-on-deck moments,” Nadolski said. “The safety of our people and our neighborhoods remain our highest priority. Every department in this city has a role to play in prevention, readiness, and response — from enforcing codes to maintaining our own properties to increasing public awareness. This is about pulling together as a team for the safety of our community.”

The release said, in addition to the directives for construction sites, efforts are also being made to mitigate fire risks throughout the city.

“In addition to construction site safety measures, Ogden City employees from Public Services and Code Enforcement have increased citywide efforts to identify and mitigate homes and lots that present fire safety concerns such as high, dry grasses, weeds, and debris. This includes city-owned properties and public rights-of-way,” the release said.  Collaboration among multiple city departments — including Police, Fire, Public Services, and Code Enforcement — is essential to ensuring safety throughout Ogden. Properties with urgent fire hazards have been identified and formally notified so issues can be addressed without delay. In addition, water flow capacity in high-risk areas is being tested to confirm resources are ready when needed, and patrols have been increased to provide added vigilance.”

McBride said the message to contractors, developers and community members alike is clear.

“Do your part to insure that fires aren’t happening the way that they have been,” he said. “That might be anything from, if you’re a contractor, securing your site properly or, as a resident, you can do your part in fire prevention just by reporting observations — whether it be high, dry grasses or any suspicious behavior. Everybody has a part in fire prevention.”