Fire Marshal's Office
The Prevention Division, commonly referred to as the Fire Marshal’s Office is committed to preventing fires and improving life safety in our community.
The Fire Marshal’s Office conducts building inspections, building plan reviews, fire code compliance, alarm system inspections, commercial sprinkler system inspections, occupancy inspections, and other related activities for both State and County compliance. The Prevention Division also actively works with the City to promote public safety and make recommendations about the planning and permitting processes that affect our community.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is located at:
17525 Aurora Ave North, Shoreline, WA 98133
Phone: 206.533.6565
I am honored to be the Fire Marshal for the Shoreline Fire Department and Cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Town of Woodway. I am proud of the Shoreline Fire Department and the cities’ commitment to supporting the pro-active approach to fire and life safety. The fire department, city leadership and our citizens, partner together in support of our commitment to providing the resources to accomplish this mission.
An example of this support and commitment was the passing of a city ordinance in 2021 requiring all new single family homes and duplexes to install a residential sprinkler system. This was a large milestone for our city’s largest fire problem; fires in single family homes. As your Fire Marshal, I’ve witnessed the devastation to families, the personal and financial impacts, and the large amount of resources required to handle these events. This is not only a local issue, but a nation-wide issue.
We’ve known for several years that the best solution to this issue is a fire sprinkler system. Smoke detectors save lives by alerting occupants, and sprinklers save lives by extinguishing the fire. When used together the statistics show a drastic reduction in fire fatalities and injuries, not only to occupants but also to firefighters. There is also a large reduction in fire and smoke damage because the fire is extinguished in its earliest stage and confined to its origin.
Along the way there were roadblocks that prevented us from adopting this solution. Several industries and people came together to address these roadblocks, and finally we came to a place where I felt the solution of home fire sprinklers could be implemented. The Fire Department and the City came together to make it happen, and City Council adopted the sprinkler ordinance effective February 2021.
I am proud to say, Shoreline is now one of ten jurisdictions in the State that have adopted a full sprinkler ordinance, which I believe over time will reduce fires in our single family homes.
This is just one of several examples of how our Fire Department and City work together to tackle fire and life safety issues.
If you have any fire and life safety questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail any time.
Thank You,
Derek LaFontaine, Fire Marshal
