This week, in recognition of Building Safety Month, we’re highlighting the people behind the scenes in Wake County’s Planning and Development Services department. Each day this week, we’ll share the story of one employee, showing how their expertise and dedication help protect our community and ensure that every project meets the highest standards.
Frank Karcher has three rules for every inspection. It must be safe. It must be completed according to approved plans. And he must be able to sleep that night.
That third rule says more than it might seem. It means nothing gets waved through. No shortcuts, no close-enough calls. Every project gets his full attention, no matter how many he has running at once, and on any given day, that number can reach 20.
“PYEOE,” he said. “Put your eyes on everything.” That’s how he works.
Karcher is a senior trades inspector for special projects in the Permits and Inspections Division of Planning and Development Services, a role he landed in 2017 in about the most accidental way possible. He was visiting a former employer when he got a tip; Wake County Inspections was hiring, and the chief mechanical inspector was looking for good candidates. It happened to be the last day the listing was posted. He applied, got the job and never looked back. “The rest is history,” he said.
He came with a lot of experience. Karcher has been a career HVAC professional since 1994, the year after he graduated high school, when his father pointed him toward a job as a helper for a mechanical contractor. He learned everything – installation, service, sales. By 2005, he had passed his North Carolina H-3-1 licensing exam and was running his own mechanical contracting business. He kept going, adding a North Carolina SPPH electrical license, and later, after joining the county, an unlimited electrical contracting license.
“I thought maybe I could be chief mechanical inspector someday, given my background. This is still my main motivation,” he said.
The job itself is harder to explain than the title suggests.
“A typical day consists of a lot of driving, walking and thinking about safety as applied to the three trades within a building: electrical, mechanical (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and plumbing. While I may have as many as 20 projects going simultaneously, I give each inspection called for any given day my undivided attention,” he said.
People sometimes watch him work and assume it must be a pretty relaxed way to spend a day; a lot of driving, a lot of walking. Karcher doesn’t take offense, but he’ll be straight about it. “The decades of experience it took me to make it look easy has given people the impression that it is easier than it looks,” he said. “But in fact, it can be a difficult and stressful job.”
It’s not a point of contention to him. Just an observation.
What keeps him engaged is the people. He genuinely wants them to succeed. He takes consultations, answers questions, and makes himself available. “I want everyone who is attempting to better themselves to succeed,” he said. “I try to be someone who can be relied upon to help anyone within my reach.”
He also picks up Spanish conversations on job sites, a language he’s been learning for fun, sharpened by real interactions every day. It’s a small detail that reflects something larger about how he approaches the work. He’s curious, he’s engaged, and he actually likes the people he meets along the way.
Outside of work, Karcher has been playing electric bass guitar for more than 30 years. He’s a lifelong video gamer. He spends time with his wife of 30 years and his adult children whenever possible.
And if you ever need someone to name every president of the United States in order; he’s your person.
