MT. VERNON — The Mt. Vernon Fire Department and Mt. Vernon Police Department are warning businesses of a scam by a person presenting himself as a local fireman.
According to MVFD Assistant Chief Kevin Sargent, a local business was the victim of the scam, in which a man entered the establishment and identified himself as a member of the Mt. Vernon Fire Department.
Sargent said the man then allegedly conducted a fake inspection of the business and at the end, charged the establishment money for conducting the so-called inspection.
“We don’t charge for any inspections,” Sargent said. “If anyone shows up saying they are with the fire department and they are there to do an inspection, always ask for identification. If they have no identification, call the police department.”
The police department is investigating the incident, and Sargent said he wants to get the word out that no fire fighter will ask for money from any business to conduct any inspections of property.
“We have fire fighters who go out and do what we call pre-fire planning inspections,” Sargent explained. “They make sure the contacts for the business is updated, and update any changes to the interior of the buildings on our plans. They do it two times a year and there is no fee for the pre-fires. Pre-fires are part of the things we do to maintain our ISO rating. We do have people who do official inspections, but again, we do not charge to do them. The inspection encompasses the health, life and safety codes and building codes.”
Sargent said all official fire fighters with the MVFD have identification on their person and will be able to present it when asked.
If anyone has a question about what inspections they can expect from the MVFD and how they are conducted, they may contact the MVFD for additional information. full story
