After a major fire in Switzerland that left dozens of people dead, Detroit Fire Marshal Donald Thomas said the work that the department does is all about prevention. 

"Just for the year 2025, we performed over 400 inspections of bars and restaurants, be them big or small, within the city of Detroit," said Thomas.

Thomas said he and his team are working on fire hazards, such as ensuring blocked exits are clear, maintaining up-to-date fire suppression tools in the kitchen and keeping aisleways clear. But it's not just bars and restaurants that need to comply. 

"We inspect schools, we inspect high rises, we inspect hazardous materials sites as well as regular businesses and stores and other mercantile occupancies," said Thomas. 

Thomas said the Swiss bar fire on New Year's Eve is a painful reminder that some celebrations need to take place outside. About 40 people were killed and several others were hurt, after investigators say the fire at a bar at a ski resort was likely caused by sparklers on champagne bottles.

"While we know that they're aesthetically pleasing and they're used to celebrate very special occasions for people, they're meant to be on the outside," Thomas said.

Thomas said birthday candles are OK, saying, "Birthday candles are fine. We recognize that most people do want to go to bars and clubs and restaurants to celebrate these things, but we also want to make sure that we're celebrating them safely."

He said the job of fire safety isn't just for inspectors. Residents can help too. 

"The reality is that there are more citizens than there are inspectors. So we really need our residents to be our eyes and ears when they're going into these businesses," said Thomas. 

People can ask a business to ensure its secondary exit is available. If people notice something that could be a fire hazard, they can report it. Any first violation results in a warning, giving the business time to bring the issue up to code.