FULLERTON : New Fire Marshal Knows the Ropes

Battalion Chief John Clark will become fire marshal on Jan. 1, assuming responsibility for fire prevention and education in the city. Clark will be returning to a position he held twice before.

As fire marshal, Clark will also be responsible for tracking hazardous materials in the city, inspecting buildings for fire safety and investigating the causes of fires.

Larry Greene, the current fire marshal, will take Clark’s job in the Fire Suppression Division. “It doesn’t hurt for all of us to work in all facets of the department,” Clark said. “It’s a broadening experience.”

The marshal and his team of eight people also check building plans to see if proposed buildings meet fire codes; they educate the community about fire prevention, and they inspect underground storage tanks.

Clark said he looks forward to resolving community problems. “In suppression, about the only time you deal with people is in a high-stress situation,” he said.

But he noted that the marshal also has a crucial role in investigation of arson and enforcement of fire codes. “The buck really stops at the fire marshal’s desk,” he said. “Anytime they’re a squeaky point the fire marshal gets involved.”

During Clark’s previous seven years as fire marshal, he started the Smoky the Bear program, which still brings a firefighter dressed up as the familiar bear to youth groups and schools to teach fire prevention. Clark, 49, is a 28-year veteran of the department. Greene, 46, is a 24-year veteran.