Marietta Fire Department Warns Businesses of Fraudulent Inspections

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January 2012

The Marietta Fire Department recently learned an unknown man might be pretending to be a Marietta Fire employee and charging local businesses for fire inspections. Marietta Fire officials do not charge businesses for inspections.

The man may wear dark blue pants and T-shirts like the ones firefighters wear and tell business owners the city's fire marshal sent him to perform an inspection, Marietta fire marshal Scott Tucker said. "Marietta Fire representatives wear badges and shoulder patches and drive official fire department vehicles," he said. "Our staff carry official city-issued identification cards with them and never use private companies to conduct business inspections."

The man may request businesses pay immediately in cash or sends an invoice with instructions to return payment to a post office box, Tucker said. "The Marietta Fire Department does not charge for inspections, and all payment transfers take place at City Hall."

If anyone offers to inspect your business, do not confront him or her, Tucker said. "Call the police department immediately. If the person leaves, make sure you can give the dispatcher a description of the suspect."

Legitimate Marietta fire employees check to see that third-party companies have inspected fire extinguishers inside businesses during annual inspections and part of the permit approval process. However, city fire employees do not charge at the time for cash payment



Author:Marietta Fire Department Press Release