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Brian Keith Gaskins is Anson County’s interim chief building inspector, replacing Marvin “Cooter” Deese, who retired at the end of January.

Gaskins has worked with Deese as a building inspector since 2007. He has earned North Carolina Building Code Level I and II in building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing, and is expected to reach Level III within the next few years, County Manager Lawrence Gatewood said.

A native of Chesterfield, S.C., and a graduate of Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C., Gaskins said he came to work for the county’s inspections department when he was building his own house and Deese came to inspect the house. “That’s kind of how I got into the business,” he said.

The inspections department is responsible for the day-to-day inspections of homes, businesses and other properties within the county, Gaskins said. He performs all inspections, except fire inspections, which are done by Mark Sessions and Jimmy Burns with the town of Wadesboro. Gaskins said he performs an average of about 10 inspections a day, and about 250 a month.

Right now, since Deese’s retirement, the inspections department is a “one-man show,” he said, but added that he hopes another inspector will be hired when the economy turns around. “We inspect all the plumbing, egress, etc.,” he explained. “If someone buys a building or builds a building, we’re there to make sure all the buildings in the county are safe.”

As outlined in North Carolina’s general statutes, each inspection department is “to enforce within the county’s territorial jurisdiction state and local laws and local ordinances and regulations related to: 1. The construction of buildings; 2. The installation of such facilities as plumbing systems, electrical systems, heating systems, refrigeration systems and air conditioning systems; 3. The maintenance of buildings in a safe, sanitary and healthful condition; 4. Other matters to be specified by the Board of Commissioners.”

In Gaskins’ words, the mission of the inspections department is “to provide services to the public in a manner that is convenient, informative and effective. We’re here to assist the public and ensure the welfare and safety of our community.”