Beyond financing, a solid piece of property, good design and construction partners, or even a great lawyer, what a developer looking to complete a major real estate project in Worcester needs more than anything else is fire Capt. Tom Bull’s approval.
Bull performs inspections on all major building projects within Worcester, ensuring they meet code compliance and life safety requirements to achieve the goal of providing the greatest level of fire safety.
Even though he’s known as a great guy to work with, Bull wears his meticulousness as a badge of honor and does not bend to any external pressure. Bull is very by the book, and he does it all in the name of safety. This, of course, gives Bull the power to stop any project or keep it from being occupied upon completion. He will work a little bit with project developers in advance so they can avoid any conflicts, but his true role is inspecting work when it’s finished, to make sure everything is done properly and doesn’t put anyone in any added danger.
Bull’s proudest moments, he said, are when he receives reports of incidents either mitigated or controlled by fire protection, life safety equipment, or people educated in fire safety that he and his division worked to ensure were in place and operational when needed.Â
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
