TL;DR

Rural Texas is changing fast. In this episode, Kevin Palmer (Fire Marshal, Van Zandt County) breaks down what the fire marshal role really is (and isn’t), how county-level fire prevention works, how inspections/codes work when a county is thin on resources, and what communities should know about modern risks like Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and other large industrial facilities.

Watch / Listen

Prefer audio? Search “Know Leon County Podcast” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Music.

Episode Guest

Kevin Palmer — Fire Marshal, Van Zandt County (Texas)

What We Covered

The role

  • What a fire marshal actually does day-to-day
  • Prevention vs inspection vs enforcement
  • How the marshal’s office works with fire departments and local government

Authority and codes

  • Where the fire marshal’s authority comes from in Texas
  • City vs county differences
  • What happens when a county doesn’t have a fire marshal
  • What inspections can look like when local codes aren’t formally adopted

Costs and funding (the questions everyone asks)

  • “Is this just bureaucracy?” — what the job really provides
  • Typical costs to establish the position
  • How some offices can offset costs through fees (and how that usually works)
  • Where inspection/permit fees typically go and how budgets are handled
  • Whether those funds can support equipment and EMS-related needs (and what constraints may exist)

Modern facilities and risk

  • How hazards are evaluated and why pre-incident planning matters
  • Large industrial sites and what changes for firefighter response

BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems)

  • What makes BESS incidents different from typical fires
  • Thermal runaway, re-ignition, and operational realities
  • “Extinguish vs contain” — what response often looks like
  • Training and equipment considerations for departments

Small business reassurance

  • What small business owners should expect from inspections
  • The difference between “helping you get safer” and “shutting you down”

Key Takeaway

Fire prevention isn’t about creating hurdles — it’s about reducing risk before an emergency. When growth accelerates, communities that understand how fire safety oversight works are in a better position to protect responders and residents alike.

Links & Resources

Notes / Corrections

If we misspoke on a statute, process, or terminology, drop a comment or send me a message and I’ll post a correction here.