A safe building protects your employees, customers, tenants, and the business they depend on. Avon Fire Department wants to work with property owners and operators to find hazards early, keep protection systems reliable, and reduce the risk of fire, damage, and costly interruptions. Please contact Fire Prevention when you have questions or are planning changes. We can help you understand the review, permit, inspection, and maintenance steps that apply to your property.
Protecting Your Business Beyond Code Minimums
The Massachusetts fire and building codes establish minimum safety requirements. Meeting those requirements is an essential starting point, but your building, operations, and tolerance for downtime may call for more protection. Additional detection or suppression, improved storage practices, staff training, emergency planning, and a business continuity plan may help limit losses and get operations running again after an incident. Work with your design professional, fire protection contractor, and insurer to assess the measures that fit your property. Our Fire Prevention staff can discuss fire safety concerns and coordinate the required reviews and inspections.
Why preparedness matters: The U.S. Small Business Administration says 25% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster, which include fires. Fire and emergency planning are critical to help protect your people, property, and ability to serve customers.
Complete the Avon Fire Department Emergency Contact Form for your property. Update it at least once every year, and submit a new response whenever an owner, tenant, keyholder, alarm company, or 24-hour telephone number changes. Provide people who can be reached and respond after hours. Current information helps us reach the right person during an alarm, fire, water leak, or other emergency.
Owner and Operator Responsibilities
Use this checklist to organize ongoing fire safety work. It summarizes common responsibilities; the Massachusetts fire code, approved plans, and conditions of any permits determine the requirements for a particular property.
- Keep exits usable: Maintain exit doors, corridors, stairways, exit signs, and emergency lighting. Keep the means of egress clear and do not lock or obstruct an exit needed by occupants.
- Maintain fire department access: Keep fire lanes, apparatus access routes, hydrants, fire department connections, entrances, and required access to fire protection equipment clear. Maintain visible building and unit identification.
- Maintain fire protection systems: Arrange required inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) of fire alarms, sprinklers, standpipes, fire pumps, extinguishers, commercial cooking protection, and other installed systems. Correct deficiencies promptly, retain reports, and forward ITM reports to fireprevention@avon-ma.gov. See Fire Protection Systems for impairment and reporting instructions.
- Control hazards: Maintain good housekeeping, safe storage and separation of combustible and hazardous materials, electrical equipment and utility spaces, and required clearances around protection equipment. Review special operations with tenants and contractors.
- Obtain permits and inspections: Check whether storage, hot work, fuel-burning equipment, tanks, hazardous materials, or other regulated work or activities require a Fire Department permit. Building work and fire protection system installations may also need Building Department permits and Fire Department review or witnessed tests. See Fire Department Permits and Plan Review.
- Manage changes: Contact Fire Prevention before changes in occupancy, tenant use, storage, processes, layout, or fire protection systems that could affect code requirements. Ensure contractors and tenants know which permits, inspections, and operational safeguards apply.
Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Fire Protection Systems
Property owners are responsible for keeping required fire protection systems in working order and ensuring routine inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) is completed at the intervals required by the applicable codes and standards. Arrange for qualified contractors, provide access to equipment, retain inspection and test records, correct deficiencies promptly, and send all ITM reports to fireprevention@avon-ma.gov. Coordinate this work with tenants and property managers so responsibilities are clear. Avon requires an annual Fire Alarm and Sprinkler Impairment Permit for ITM of fire protection systems.
When a System Is Impaired
The owner or designated representative should plan and manage any shutdown and act promptly when a system unexpectedly becomes unavailable. Report an out-of-service system by calling (508) 563-5361, option 5. Identify the affected system and area, arrange repairs, coordinate any required temporary safeguards with the Fire Department, and keep those safeguards in place until the system is restored and verified. Follow the detailed instructions on the Fire Protection Systems page.
Business Inspections and Records
Avon Fire Department attempts to inspect all businesses in town annually. Owners and tenants should provide access to the areas and systems being inspected, make relevant permits and test records available, and follow up on any documented deficiencies. A business may also request an inspection at any time; see the Inspections page.
Emergency Key Access (Knox Box)
Buildings with a fire alarm system must have a fire department key access box. Avon Fire Department uses Knox Boxes. If your building has a fire alarm and no box, contact Fire Prevention to arrange one. We also recommend a Knox Box for buildings without a fire alarm. A properly located box with current keys helps firefighters enter promptly when no one is available and may prevent damage from forced entry. Contact us to confirm the appropriate box and location before ordering or installation.
Learn how to order a Knox Box from Knox. When ordering, enter the installation address and select Avon Fire Department as the responding agency; confirm the selection with us if you are unsure. After installation, call Fire Prevention at (774) 480-1692 to arrange for us to secure the building keys in the box. Call us whenever the locks or keys change so the box continues to contain working keys.
Emergency Contact Information
Use the Emergency Contact Form to provide the building owner, primary occupant, monitoring companies, and emergency keyholders. Review and resubmit your information every year and as soon as any contact changes. This annual update is an Avon Fire Department request for reliable emergency response information; it does not replace any code-required plans, permits, or notices.
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Questions
Avon Fire Department – Fire Prevention
150 Main Street, Avon, MA 02322
Phone: (774) 480-1692
Email: fireprevention@avon-ma.gov
For an emergency, call 911.