Gainesville Fire Department personnel schedule visits with local businesses throughout the year to proactively prepare for emergency situations.
These visits are not inspections but instead are an opportunity for firefighters to gain insight about a structure's age, construction type, and physical layout. In addition, firefighters are able to become familiar with suppression features, plan ahead for apparatus placement, locate available water sources, and identify hazards (limited access areas, open stairways, equipment on roof, chemical storage areas, etc.) which may threaten the lives of civilians and firefighters during an emergency.