El Paso Fire Department Finds Over 200 Buildings Failing Code Inspection

Beginning in May, the El Paso Fire Department started inspections of 726 buildings. On July 31, fire Chief Otto Drozd said 266 buildings did not meet code; another 112 are vacant.

Among the buildings that failed inspections were the County Courthouse, City Hall, the convention center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Abraham Chavez Theatre, both federal courthouses, the El Paso Police Department Central Regional Command, the Police Department evidence office on Texas Avenue, the Fire Department headquarters, El Paso County 911 Center, the Plaza Theatre, the El Paso Main Library, the El Paso Museum of History, Insights El Paso Science Museum, the U.S. Post Office on Mills Avenue, and the county MDR Building.

The evaluation focused on the potential for loss of life, loss of property, economic impact and the loss of historical landmarks.

When looking at the level of hazards and risk, government buildings in Downtown were mostly found to be under moderate hazard and risk level, according to the report.

Hazards comprise fire potential and life safety concerns; and risk is the potential for significant loss in case of a fire emergency, according to the document.

Violations

The lack of safety signs or tags, obstructed exits, improper use of electrical cords and the storage of flammable materials in inappropriate areas were common violations in these buildings.

The 23-year-old County Courthouse on San Antonio Avenue did not pass inspections due to a missing alarm system tag and combustible material stored in a utility area, according to the document.

Another county property that ranked unsatisfactory in the report was the MDR Building at 500 E. Overland. Electrical items appeared to be unsafe, the fire protection system was not working and there were issues with an exit, the report shows.

The 911 Center was also in violation for not having a permit for flammable materials.

The Plaza Theatre did not pass inspection due to combustible materials found in an exit and improper use of extension cords. The main branch of the El Paso Public Library had problems with the sprinkler and electrical systems, fire extinguisher tags were missing or expired, and the emergency lighting system needed to be tested.

El Paso Museum of History at 510 N. Stanton did not comply with the fire code after combustible material was found in a utility area, the fire protection system was inoperative and there was a tag missing in the alarm system, the fire report shows.

The El Paso Police Department property and evidence office at 617 Texas had issues with the sprinkler system, while the Central Regional Command failed inspection because inspectors were not able to look into the fire alarm panel, the report says.

The fire inspection at City Hall was unsatisfactory because the sprinkler system tags were missing.

Fire permits at the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau were not up to date, extension cords were used instead of permanent electrical wiring, combustible materials were stored in a utility area, and sprinkler system tags were missing.

The Chamber of Commerce did not have the proper exit sign required, while an assembly permit was missing.

The Insights Museum at 505 S. Santa Fe St. did not pass the inspection because of problems with the electrical and sprinkler systems.

The Tillman Building at 222 Campbell, owned by the city but managed by a nonprofit organization, had extension cords used instead of permanent wiring and the electrical junction box was not covered.

The fire access of the old Federal Courthouse at 511 San Antonio was not the required size. In addition, the five-story-building does not have a sprinkler system.

The inspection at the new Federal Courthouse on Magoffin Avenue was unsatisfactory because it did not meet requirements for fire department connection signs.

Other government buildings that failed inspection were the U.S. Post Office at 219 E. Mills for not having the sprinkler or alarm system tags, and the Social Security Administration office at 600 Texas, which required emergency lighting and was missing an alarm system tag.

The site assessment inspection at the Banamex building, 416 N. Stanton, where the Fire Department headquarters is currently located, was also unsatisfactory. The building is not a city-owned property.

“Unsafe” electrical items, obstructed exits, and issues with the fire suppression system were found there, according to the report.

Actions

General Services Director Larry Nichols, who oversees city buildings, said staff has addressed the problems in buildings owned and maintained by the city, such as City Hall, the Museum of Art, the Main Library and the police property office.

Other city buildings such as the convention center, the Plaza Theatre and the Insights El Paso Science Museum are city-owned structures but managed by other organizations, Nichols said.

Those organizations are working on correcting the problems that were noted in the inspection, he said.

One of the main deficiencies in the city buildings was that the inspection tags were missing on fire extinguishers and alarm systems, Nichols said.

Nichols said the city has records that show that the systems have been inspected and that the inspections are valid until November. City staff has replaced the tags, he said.

In the Main Library, there was a cover plate missing on the electrical outlet box. It also has been replaced, he added.

“We now ask for the Fire Department to come back and re-inspect and give us an approval,” Nichols said.

For its part, the county has taken care of most of the fire-code issues in its buildings, said Monique Aguilar, the county’s facilities manager.

At the County Courthouse, the problems with storage in the electrical room have been solved, she said. “There was nothing flammable there, it is just that there is nothing allowed to be stored in there, and we had some boxes that have been removed and staff have been advised not to use it as storage,” Aguilar said.

The only thing pending is an electrical problem with the fire pump in the building, she said.

The county is currently working with an electrical engineer to fix it, Aguilar said.

At the MDR Building, county staff is in the process of reversing an interior door that leads to an exit, she said. Doors have to open out, she added.

A representative with the U.S. General Services Administration in El Paso did not return calls for comment on the inspections on both Federal Court buildings.

City Rep. Cortney Niland, who represents the Downtown area, is glad the city is going through the process of identifying the buildings that do not meet code, she said.

Niland said the city has to take care of its buildings in order to expect other Downtown property owners to comply with fire and building codes.

“It starts with us,” Niland said. “If we are expecting other individuals to comply within new code, we must first do that ourselves.”

In the case of the city buildings, they were putting people at risk, Niland said.

“It’s unacceptable,” she said. “Obviously, we disclosed this. We have problems ourselves. We are not hiding this from anyone.”

The city has not done a good job when it comes to making sure that its buildings are being held up to code, she said.

Niland said the city has to work on making better policies.

City staff is currently working on the modification to the building code enforcement and the possible implementation of certificates of occupancy, which tell city officials how buildings are being used.

A formal recommendation to improve code enforcement ordinances will be presented to the City Council in 90 days, said George De La Torre, a spokesman for the Fire Department.

Downtown property owners are working with the city in the process, he said. Conversations with property owners began this week.