By Taylor Boyd
Fire shutters will be installed at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Select inside the Patrick County Administration Building in early 2026 to comply with Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office regulations.
During a walkthrough with a fire marshal earlier this year, Building Inspector Jason Brown said the shutters were among the key items that needed attention.
“We were able to deal with the others; it was some housekeeping items, but (fire shutters) was one of the items that he did point out that we did need to address,” he said.
While failure to fix the issue won’t result in an immediate fine, Brown said a notice to comply would be issued and could escalate from there.
“That’s one thing that the county never wants to find itself in is on the opposite side of the State Fire Marshal’s Office,” Brown said. “We don’t want to be there, so we’ll do everything we can to get into compliance with them, and this is actually a very doable and fairly easy fix. It will also benefit the employees of the DMV, too.”
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors approved $27,000 for the project in November.
Parts for the project have been ordered, though delivery could take about 11 weeks.
The building’s second-floor main hallway is a rated corridor, designed as a safe passage for anyone exiting their workspace during a fire. Offices connected to the hallway already have fire-rated doors to contain potential fires.
“That’s the reason these doors are supposed to remain closed,” Brown said, and explained the frames and doors have “fire-rated glass, so if the flame were to get to it, this glass doesn’t just fall out. It stays intact. That’s the reason it has chicken wire in it.”
Because the DMV service window opens to the corridor, the hallway’s fire rating is compromised. Installing fireproof shutters over the window will allow the corridor to remain a safe passage.
The suite, which includes the DMV, Registrar’s Office, and a conference room, will also be renovated to improve safety and expand DMV workspace. Scotch blocks used to prop open the left-side door will be replaced with a magnetic hold-open device tied to the fire alarm, ensuring the door closes automatically during an alarm, Brown said.
To increase DMV office space, the wall will be extended to the left side door, creating a smaller hallway to other rooms. The suite’s right-side door will be removed and replaced with a second service window.
“So, she’ll be coming into a rated door and into her office. We’re going to be readjusting it so that we can increase her office space a little bit,” Brown said.
Brown said installing shutters is the best option, allowing both DMV service windows to remain operational.
“Otherwise, we’d be closing these doors. Someone would have to go to that service window, turn around, go back through those doors, and you can imagine how many people that would be. Now we can maintain business pretty much as normal, but with the security of the rating of the corridor,” he said.
DMV Select Manager Diana Belcher said the expansion will make the office more ergonomic and efficient.
Currently, “we have to climb on stools to get to our desk. We have to clean off the desk to shut the door. I have to get on the floor to actually access (vehicle) plates that we use, or extra plates, and then the plates that people return to us are stacked behind the door, so it’s very limited space,” she said.
Once the parts arrive, Brown said construction will mainly take place over a weekend to minimize disruption.
“We’re hoping that we’re going to be able to continue everything as normal because they’re going to be just adding this wall and then moving the door over. I think that will be one of the things they’ll get done as quick as possible,” Belcher said.
