West Virginia Fire Commission to Draft First Statewide Prevention Plan in 50 Years

After five decades without a statutory fire-prevention strategy, the West Virginia State Fire Commission is preparing its inaugural plan, slated for completion in fall 2026.

West Virginia has consistently ranked among the nation’s deadliest states for house fires, averaging 32 fatalities per year between 2009 and 2023. A December 2025 audit revealed that the State Fire Commission, created in 1976, never fulfilled its statutory duty to produce a comprehensive fire-prevention plan. Testifying before a Government Organization Committee, State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree Jr. admitted he was unaware of the requirement and confirmed that his office is now drafting the first such plan in fifty years, with a target completion in fall 2026.

The forthcoming document will evaluate staffing needs, training center locations, water-source availability, and public-education strategies, focusing on high-risk “hot spots” and volunteer-firefighter recruitment. Auditors have repeatedly highlighted factors such as poverty-driven heating methods, high smoking rates, an aging population, and old housing stock as drivers of the elevated death toll. The plan will undergo internal review before being submitted to the legislative oversight committee and released for public comment ahead of the 2026 legislative interim session.