As spring and the warmer weather start rolling into Northeast Ohio, so will more outdoor events and gatherings. It also means we’re about to enter food truck season, with an ever-growing number of mobile food vendors catering to people’s appetites and cravings.

There are more than 100 food trucks, carts, trailers, and other mobile food units operating out of the City Cleveland alone, according to Roaming Hunger, and there are many more that are based outside of the city limits.

While the operators must get a State of Ohio Mobile Food Unit health inspection each year, they are also required to get fire safety inspections from each city in which they will operate.

“Being a food truck operator, you receive one standardized Ohio Health inspection each year that permits you to operate anywhere in the state,” explains Greg Kobunski, who owns bRaised in the CLE food truck with his wife, Stephanie. He says health inspections are done in the county where the business is based and are good throughout Ohio for the season (although periodic spot checks sometime occur).

But Kobunski says the fire inspection process can be tedious and time consuming and would take an entire month to get 20 to 40 food truck inspections from city fire departments where they had booked events on the calendar.

“Three years ago, there was a day in March when I put over 300 miles on the truck—driving from Fire Station to Fire Station to Fire Station doing eight inspections that were all the same,” recalls Greg Kobunski. “It just didn't make any sense.”

Taking action

Area fire inspectors agree with Kobunski. In 2022, inspectors say they found that, between the increased number of mobile food units in the area and individual cities each requiring and conducting their own inspections, both inspectors and vendors were involved in a huge amount of redundant work to get all the seasonal inspections done.

So, South Euclid Fire Department’s fire inspector Scott Sebastian came up with a solution to solve the growing challenges in accommodating food truck fire inspections in the region—he

Suggested the area fire departments come together for a coordinated regional inspection program.

“Last year, we came together as a group and had lunch, and we talked about doing this on a regional basis where we all come together,” he recalls. “We [decided to] invite all these trucks to come—that way we're inspecting them all at one time instead of multiple times throughout the summer.”

The program launched last year with approximately 70 trucks participating and has now become known as the Heights Hillcrest Regional Food Truck Inspection program.

This year's event, scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 and Thursday, March 27 at the South Euclid Service Center, 4224 Monticello Blvd., is expected to draw more than 100 mobile food units with 23 cities participating in the inspection process.

Matt and Julie Barnes own Gather Food + Drink in Rocky River. They operate three food trucks out of their establishment, including Manna truck, and travel all over Northern Ohio—from Cleveland and Akron to Port Clinton to Fairport Harbor, serving mixed American food such as Hawaiian jerk pork, falafel wrap, eggplant fries, crab cake burger, tater tots, and beef brisket.

Matt Barnes got the Manna Truck inspection last year through the South Euclid program and says they will be returning this year.

“Scott is the only fire chief to go out of his way to organize an event for the food trucks and over 20 cities to get inspected,” says Barnes of Sebastian’s efforts. “In the past we would have to set up an inspection in every city that required it, causing food trucks a lot of time and money.”

This year, the program has expanded to additional cities in Cuyahoga County and into parts of Lake and Lorain Counties.

Cities included this year are Avon, Avon Lake, Berea, Brook Park, Cleveland Heights, Chagrin Falls, Elyria, Euclid, Independence, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Middleburg Heights, North Ridgeville, Richmond Heights, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield Village, South Euclid, University Heights, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Willowick.

“This initiative is a great example of government efficiency positively affecting our local economy,” says South Euclid Parks & Recreation director Daniel Subwick. “By working together, government agencies are reducing bureaucracy and making it easier for food trucks to operate their businesses.”

Free and easy

The free program allows vendors to obtain required safety certifications in one streamlined session. Inspectors examine everything from gas line pressure tests to carbon monoxide detectors, ensuring units meet Ohio fire code requirements for mobile food operations.

"What Scott has done here, to make it free in order to get it so that you have [one-stop inspections] is absolutely fantastic. And I see this only getting better in the future," says Schmitt.
"They need three pieces of documentation and then you get a sticker and you're good for the whole year. And it doesn't cost you a thing."

Vendors must provide a Board of Health license, gas line pressure test paperwork, and liability insurance paperwork, and pass a safety inspection to receive their sticker, which is then recognized by the participating municipalities.

Sebastian says they will be checking the following:

• Large exterior propane cylinders are properly secured to the truck (the cylinders need to be 30 inches off the ground), and their connections are tight.
• The cylinders have the correct emergency gas shut off valves and shut off signage.
• "No Smoking” signs are on the front and rear of the truck.
• One certified ABC Fire extinguisher (a dry powder extinguisher) “If they are cooking with an appliance that uses oils they will need an additional certified K-Class fire extinguisher, [which] has a water and foam mixture that will suffocate a grease fire,” Sebastian says.
• A Photoelectric smoke alarm and a Carbon Monoxide Detector.
• “We also look at their electrical set up,” says Sebastian. “They can not use extension cords to power electric fridges or cooking appliances.”
• “If they use a generator, we review with them how to properly set it up,” he says.
• If the truck has a cooking exhaust fan operators must turn it on to confirm it works properly.

"Whether you're a tent, a trailer or a truck, you still have to meet the basic minimums," explains Michael Schmitt, assistant chief with the Berea Fire Department. "Then there's certain things with each type of unit that is specific to that unit."

The program has streamlined what was previously a cumbersome process requiring vendors to undergo separate inspections in each city where they operated. Sebastian created a digital system using Google documents where vendors can upload their paperwork, making it accessible to all participating fire departments.

Chagrin Valley Fire Department fire chief and marshal James Finley says his department covers six communities and tracking food truck compliance can be difficult sometimes—especially for events that occur over multiple days, like Blossom Time in Chagrin Falls or weekend-long events at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field.

“We'll have like 22 food trucks at the Polo Field for a dog show or an art show, and when the food truck leaves for the night and comes back in the morning, I re-inspect it—just in case something moved around or if it's a bigger company that has multiple food trucks,” Finley says. “But they get inspected every time they're here.”

Major events like the Cuyahoga County Fair can draw more than 100 mobile food units, while weekly concerts and festivals throughout the region, such as the South Euclid Food Truck Park provide steady business opportunities throughout the summer.

Safety first
For the public, the inspection program offers peace of mind that their favorite food trucks meet important safety standards. For vendors, it provides an efficient way to obtain necessary certifications while building relationships with local fire officials.

Schmitt agrees with Finley. “If we have somebody that has a sticker, we can rest easy knowing that, hey, somebody else has laid eyes on the truck,” he explains, adding that it’s his duty to make sure the trucks are safe at all times.

“Every time that that truck goes down the road, it's like it's going through a hurricane,” he says. Things loosen up, things vibrate loose. Some trucks are really on top of maintenance and [maintain] a quality piece of equipment. But I’ve run into some that are accidents waiting to happen.”

One stop service

The inspections take place at South Euclid's service department, where six to eight trucks can be accommodated inside the heated building at once. Inspections are scheduled in 30-minute intervals, with multiple inspection teams working together to handle six to eight trucks per interval.

"We set up about five or six tables with two inspectors at each table. This year will be more," Sebastian says. "That group will stay together to do each truck as it pulls in. If any of them find any issues, they could bring us all over and we could look at it, to discuss it with the food truck vendor."

The program's importance extends beyond mere regulatory compliance. As Schmitt notes, "As a former small business owner, I understand rent, I understand employees, I understand costs. Now I'm on the other side of it, trying to make it safe for all. We don't want any of us to experience what some other cities and other states have experienced with food truck explosions, fires, damages."

For returning vendors, the program has become a valued resource. "A lot of these trucks that are coming back from last year, I'm starting to get them calling me, emailing me, 'hey, are you doing this again?'" Sebastian says.

The program's expansion from primarily east side cities to include Lake County and southern suburbs demonstrates its success in creating a regional standard for mobile food unit safety. This collaboration among fire departments not only makes compliance easier for vendors but also helps ensure public safety across Northeast Ohio.

As the food truck industry continues to grow, with events ranging from weekly food truck parks to major festivals, this regional approach to safety inspections provides a model for other communities. The program's success shows how municipal cooperation can benefit both regulators and businesses while ensuring public safety.

Food truck operators who want to register for the inspection event need to download and submit a Mobile Food Truck Application. Questions can be emailed to South Euclid Fire Marshal Scott Sebastian.