The Fire Marshal’s Office is within the King and Queen County Department of Emergency Services. The Fire Marshal is appointed by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to the Code of Virginia Title 27-30.
Greg Hunter
Fire Marshal
(804) 785-5891
Email Greg Hunter
Mission
The mission of the King and Queen County Fire Marshal’s Office is to prevent injury, loss of life, damage, or loss of property due to fire or related health and safety hazards by proactively identifying and correcting conditions that contributes to the cause and spread of fire or damage to the environment.
Fire Investigations
Fire investigations fall under the direction of the fire marshal. The fire marshal is tasked with investigating the origin and cause of every fire and explosion and hazardous materials release within King and Queen County. A joint investigation with the King and Queen Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police is utilized for crimes of arson.
Fire Prevention and Inspections
Fire prevention and safety inspections are performed by the Fire Marshal’s office to proactively educate the public and ensure a safe community.
Smoke Alarm Program
The county Smoke Alarm Program:
- Offers free smoke alarms and home inspection, conducted by firefighters.
- Offers seasonal fire and life safety information to residents.
Smoke alarms for rental or leased housing units are the responsibility of the owner or landlord. Owners are obligated to service, repair, or replace any malfunctioning smoke alarms within five days of written notice from the tenant.
To schedule a smoke alarm installation (including a visual smoke alarm for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons) or a home inspection, please call the Fire Marshal’s office at 804-785-5891.
Outdoor Burning
Local and state regulations determine when and where residents of the county can conduct open burning. For safety and environmental reasons, the information contained on this page is designed to provide legal and practical guidance to residents and businesses as they pertain to open burning. At any time, the community may contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 804-785-5891 for additional information.
- No burning until after 4:00 p.m. February 15 through April 30 of each year, if the fire is in or within 300 feet of woodland, brushland or field containing dry grass or other flammable material.
- Fire shall not be left unattended if within 150 feet of woodland, brushland or fields containing dry grass.
- No new fires set or fuel added after midnight.
- Law applies to campfires, warming fires, brush piles, leaves, household trash, stumps, fields of broomstraw and brush or anything capable of spreading fire.
- The law provides for a penalty of up to $500, plus payment of court costs and fire suppression costs if the fire escapes.
The 4:00 p.m. burn law applies statewide. To learn more, visit the VA Department of Forestry Burn Law information page.
ISO Public Protection Classification
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) identifies a Public Protection Classification (PPC) Rating for King and Queen County. ISO is an independent company that serves insurance companies, communities, fire departments insurance regulators and others by providing information about fire risk.
- Current PPC rating for King and Queen County: Class 8B/10
For the official notice of ISO PPC rating, click here. For more information on how the ISO PPC program works, visit the ISO Mitigation website or call the Insurance Services Office at 1-800-888-4476.
Fire-related Safety Recalls
Products are occasionally recalled for fire safety and other issues. To learn more, visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls page.
King and Queen County Local Emergency Planning Committee
A Local Emergency Planning Committee or LEPC, is established in each locality as designed by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). LEPC’s are crucial to local hazardous materials planning and community right-to-know programs. The membership comes from the local area and should be familiar with factors that affect public safety, the environment, and the economy of the jurisdiction. That expertise is essential as the LEPC advises the writers of the Local Emergency Response Plan, so that the plan is tailored to the needs of its planning district. In addition to its formal duties, the LEPC serves as a focal point in the community for information and discussions about hazardous substance emergency planning, and health and environmental risks as well as natural disaster planning.
Additional LEPC resources: