If serious violations are discovered during the pre-incident survey, you should:

• A. Issue the citation for the offense
• B. Request the owner fix the violation
• C. Ignore the violation as surveys are not part of code enforcement
• D. Tell other company officers about the violation so no one gets hurt

Answer: (B)

When you find serious violations during a pre-incident survey, the goal is to reduce risk by getting the responsible party to correct hazards before anyone is harmed. Asking the owner to fix the violation is the best approach because it directly addresses the safety issue, encourages voluntary remediation, and creates a clear path for improving the site without jumping straight to penalties during a survey.

Document the findings and follow your department’s procedures for reporting and tracking the corrections. If the owner doesn’t make the necessary repairs, you escalate according to policy (such as enforcement actions or referrals to the appropriate authority). Ignoring the hazards or simply informing other officers does not resolve the issue or protect occupants.