The general responsibilities of the Suffolk County Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) include inspections and enforcement activities for building codes, fire investigations, public education, technical response assistance to the Fire and EMS Agencies within Suffolk County, staffing for various positions within the county’s incident command structure and support of emergency management operations. 

These general responsibilities are exhibited in the following job functions. 

• Members of the FMO are sworn Peace Officers and are tasked with enforcing both State and County laws pertaining to fire protection and prevention.  
• Suffolk County’s K9 Arson Unit is a unique branch within the FMO which works directly with the SC Police Department Arson Squad and other agencies, as requested, in investigation of suspicious fires. 
• Oversight of the County’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Program as it relates to potential response activities and the required equipment, training and support provided to Fire and EMS agencies.  
• Oversight and coordination of the Fire Extinguisher and Licensing Board (FELB) which, by law, oversees and regulates the servicing of portable fire extinguishers and automatic fire extinguishing systems throughout the county. 
• Expertise and support for wide-scale emergency response and preparedness situations occur through involvement in a number of nationally recognized teams.  Guidance and oversight in daily operational support, logistics and planning are provided to Suffolk County’s only Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team.  Oversight is also provided to the SC Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) for establishing a defined command structure for emergency situations in compliance with the federally mandated Incident Command Structure (ICS).
• Fire Marshals support the SC Office of Emergency Management during emergency situations by staffing required positions within the County’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC).