Oct. 30, 2007 — Effective Dec. 1, St. John businesses without fire certificates will face a fine of $500.
"We're in the process of going around to businesses and letting them know they need inspection," said Fire Inspector Gustave Dowling on Tuesday. Businesses need a certificate to get a new or renewal business license, he said.
To facilitate inspections, the V.I. Fire Services has reopened its Arson Investigation and Prevention Unit on St. John. The office is located at the Cruz Bay Fire Station, and is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A change in personnel closed the office, but it has been open again since late August, Dowling said. The St. John office operates with a staff of two — Dowling and an assistant who rotates out of the St. Thomas office. The office also investigates arsons.
While there had been a backlog of businesses needing fire inspection, his office has addressed that problem, Dowling said. Most businesses are receptive to the idea of a fire inspection, he said, although there are a "very few" that are unhappy about the inspections.
St. John has about 300 businesses, Dowling said. The inspection costs $100 for businesses grossing $150,000 or less per year, and $200 for those grossing more than $150,000.
The office also issues burn permits, which cost $20 per month. It will also provide fire-safety training to businesses. The cost runs $100 per person if Fire Services must provide the extinguishers, but most businesses provide their own, so the cost is usually lower, he said.
For more information, call Dowling at 715-2628 on St. John or the Arson Investigation and Prevention Unit on St. Thomas at 774-7610.
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