FOLEY — It seems the Forward City’s municipal fire regulations don’t sit well with one Foley business owner.

During Monday’s regular Foley City Council meeting, Riviera Furniture owner Troy Barrett approached the Council with a complaint about receiving a certified letter from the Foley Fire Department about bringing his business up to city fire-code regulations.

“The fire department had inspected my business,” he told the Council. “They came back and asked me to put in a sprinkler system and (fire) alarm system.”

Barrett said after the second visit, he then received subsequent notices requesting the improvements. Following those notices, a registered letter was sent.

Barrett added that Barrett said the Foley Fire Department also tested his place of business in 2011.

“They charged me $950 and left,” he said.

Barrett said that he believes, along with the cost of improvements he has been asked to make this year, put an unnecessary financial burden on him as a Foley merchant.

“I don’t think it’s too kind to the local business owners,” he said.

Upon the Council’s request, Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby addressed Barrett’s complaint.

“There’s a section of the International Fire Code that requires a quarterly inspection and an annual test,” he said, adding that due to limited resources, the Foley Fire Department only inspects once a year while still testing businesses’ fire equipment and alarms annually.

Darby said when Foley fire officials take seriously the improvements needed to bring buildings up to fire-safety code.

“We enforce those,” he said.

The fire chief added that the cost to businesses for a yearly inspection is $175. Darby also explained that the reason for Barrett’s $950 bill last year was that “he had not had a five-year inspection.”

But Darby did admit that an improvement to the logistics of fire inspections and their correlating costs might be improved.

“There may need to be a definition,” he said.

But Darby did say most Foley merchants do comply with city regulation.

“Out of 2,400 businesses in Foley, we’ve only had to send three certified letters,” he said, explaining that certified letters are the final notice sent before action against those not complying with city regulation.

Darby also said Barrett’s type of business makes it more susceptible to fire.

“He happens to own a furniture store,” the fire chief said. “There’s been a lot of attention paid to them since the fire at the Superstore in Charleston.”

Darby added that the Foley Fire Department’s fire-inspection policy does have benefits for Foley business owners, including lower insurance rates.

“That also has an impact on building codes,” he said.

Further discussion resulted in Darby offering to provide Barrett with a list of contractors who might make the required improvements at a lower cost.