Fire prevention codes are concerned with such fire safety issues as maintenance of buildings and premises, machinery used in buildings, hazardous materials and substances, processes and fire protection equipment that are enforced and controlled by the fire department (Robertson, 2010).
Fire codes and environmental concerns could be distinguished as two inseparable elements and must work closely together in order to provide maximum efficiency in preventing and handling with a fire. When first adopted in a community or a state, fire codes do not get applied to the existing installations or structures straight away, unless the enforcement official insists on taking such kind of measures in order to prevent jeopardizing of property or the safety of life, though it does not liberate facilities from implementing the basics of these codes, which imply safety and accident prevention. Thus, the enforcement official is able to justify retrospective appliance from property and life safety standpoints.
Model building codes, zoning, electrical, housing, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning codes are created to protect us and the environment we live in from fire. Let us take a look, for instance, at the model building codes. They play an essential role in the community by preventing it from fire like other codes, except they concern only the processes of construction and include a few peculiar features, which could be recognized as a contribution to the society and to its safety. However, there is a possibility that a few areas of overlap might be present that is why cooperation between the fire department and the building department could be distinguished as a benefit in the specific case. It signifies that the society is working on the ways of improvement fire safety techniques and precautions to stay safe and to preserve the environment we live in.