801 Crockett Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
318/ 673-6655 ● FAX: 318/ 673-6656 ● www.shreveportfire.org

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief

April 1, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Shreveport Adopts New Fire Prevention Code

New ordinances called biggest fire prevention advancement in last 26 years

Fire inspectors with the Shreveport Fire Department will soon be enforcing a new fire code recently approved by the City Council. The new Code of Ordinances are taken from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2000 standards. When the new code goes into effect on September 1, 2002, fire inspectors will have ordinances that are up to date with keeping buildings in Shreveport current and safe according national fire prevention standards.

Prior to the adoption of the new code, Shreveport had been inspecting commercial structures and operating from a 1976 edition of the NFPA standard. Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran had made the updating of the code a priority in his administration and part of the department’s strategic plan in maintaining it’s prestigious Class One fire rating. "The previous standard served a useful purpose at one time but the update was necessary due to the technological advances in architecture, building construction, and fire suppression," said Cochran. The new code will also help fire inspectors perform their job more efficiently. Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Terry Lewis said, " In keeping the buildings and their occupants in Shreveport as fire safe as possible, the new code represents the biggest advancement in fire prevention for the city in the last 26 year."

Prior to the adoption of the new code, the department’s Fire Prevention Division sought input from local agencies and performed a feasability study on what effect the new ordinance would have on the city. Serving on the study’s committee were representatives from the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, Caddo Parish School Board, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the Louisiana Restaurant Association, American Institute of Architecture, Associated general Contractors, and the Fire Alarm/Protection Industry, to name a few. ###