Services provided by the Fire Marshal's Office can be categorized into five basic areas:
- Conducting state-mandated fire inspections and enforcement of the NC Fire Code to find and reduce fire hazards in various public occupancies.
- Conducting fire origin and cause investigations to determine how fires are started and prevent their recurrence while pursuing criminal prosecution of those who intentionally set fires.
- Coordinating fire suppression and homeowner insurance premium reduction efforts through a county-wide fire protection network of both volunteer and career fire departments.
- Conducting various fire and life safety education programs to educate the public on how to live more safely.
- Serving as the departmental back-up for the office of Emergency Management, coordinating mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for natural and man-made disasters.