Hays County Fire Marshal
Nathan Mendenhall, IAAI-FIT, NREMT
Hays County Fire Marshal
Burn Ban Status
Updated September 22, 2020
Burn Ban remains OFF in the
unincorporated areas of Hays County
Wildfire Status:
MODERATE
For Permits & Legal Documents please visit the Hays County Website at:
www.HCFMO.com
Mission Statement
The Hays County Fire Marshal’s is committed to the prevention of fire and the life safety of the residents and visitors of the unincorporated areas of Hays County. We accomplish this through public education, review of site and construction plans, issuance of permits, conducting fire safety inspections, and enforcement of adopted codes and state laws by working with Federal, State, County and Local Fire Agencies as well as Local Law Enforcement Agencies. We also investigate the cause of fires and explosive incidents in the unincorporated areas of Hays County.
Our Goal is to protect and serve the residents and visitors of Hays County from the effects of fire.
Fire Prevention & Safety
Fire prevention starts with the design of a building and/or system that meets the 2018 IFC, International Fire Code, and all approved codes for construction, by an architect or a professional engineer. Those blueprints/plans and specifications are then electronically submitted to The Hays County Permit Center. Our Fire Marshal’s Office has state certified plans examiners on staff that review the blueprints/plans and specifications to make sure that all new construction of subdivisions, commercial properties, public buildings and multi-family homes meet all of the applicable codes. After the plans are reviewed, a stamp or a permit is issued allowing the construction or project to begin. During the construction and/or installation, periodic inspections are done by our state certified fire inspectors. At the completion of the project, a final inspection is conducted and a Certificate of Completion (CoC) is issued and the building can then be occupied. Our inspectors also make routine inspections of schools, commercial buildings and target hazards.
Education
We provide and promote a variety of programs to make our community safer and more resilient to fire hazards. Hays County has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and promotes national programs like Firewise and Ready, Set Go! to help protect our citizens and visitors from the dangers of Wildland Interface Fires.
Our office also has state certified instructors and is a state certified training facility. This allows us to teach classes and provide certified training to First Responders, Fire Fighters, Emergency Management, Hazardous Materials Team members, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members and more. We currently serve as the chair for the Hays County Fire Chief’s Association training committee.