Topeka ? The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office caught heat Tuesday from legislative auditors who reported the agency had failed to conduct required inspections of hundreds of schools and health care facilities.

But State Fire Marshal Joseph Odle disputed the audit report.

“I just disagree with a lot of things in it,” Odle said.

Legislative leaders said the report by the Legislative Division of Post Audit found significant problems within the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office, which is charged with helping fire-safety efforts of local fire departments.

“It’s a fairly critical audit of management practices,” said Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson.

The Legislative Post Audit Committee recommended further study of the office.

Odle, who was appointed fire marshal in March 2003 by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, defended his agency’s performance.

He noted the audit found no evidence of fraud, abuse, waste or misconduct in the 51-employee agency.

“In fact, under the new administration, the (audit division) found that the office has increased its inspections by 57 percent,” Odle said.

But while inspections increased since Odle took charge, the audit said 19 percent of schools and 24 percent of health care facilities hadn’t been inspected in the previous 13 months, which the audit said was “a failure to comply with statutory requirements.”

Odle disagreed with those numbers, saying the missed inspections referred to by auditors were from cities of 2,000 or more where local fire officials are required to conduct the inspections.

Often, he said, the local fire officials didn’t share their inspection reports with his office, as they are required to do. He said he was confident inspections were being made, but added that he was enforcing a rule that the local fire departments send his office all inspection reports or face fines.

In towns of less than 2,000 people, Odle said, the Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for inspections and was conducting those surveys.

Lawrence Fire Marshal Rich Barr said his past dealings with the state office were good.

“We’ve always worked pretty well with the state,” Barr said.

Barr said his office annually inspected each school in Lawrence for fire safety and sent the inspection reports to the state office.

“I bundle them all up and send them in a big mailing each year,” he said., adding he was surprised that some cities didn’t send the reports to the state.

The audit also criticized the Fire Marshal’s Office as being top-heavy with management, failing to perform follow-up inspections to determine whether violations had been corrected, and poor recordkeeping to track whether complaints about fire safety hazards had been resolved. The audit said the state office needed an oversight board and was one of the few fire safety offices in the nation without one.

Odle said the office was working on a number of changes to make it more efficient and effective. He said many of the problems were left over from the previous administration and he needed more time to make the changes.

A survey conducted by auditors of nonmanagement personnel in the office showed strong disagreement over Odle’s reorganization efforts.

Some said Odle introduced needed, positive changes, while others accused the administration of political cronyism, according to the audit.