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Thursday, March 6, 2008

Nearly All Fire Code Violations Addressed

By Laura Nesbitt
Mountain View Telegraph
    Most— but not all— of the 52 violations cited in a May 2 state fire marshal's annual inspection of all public buildings in Estancia have been addressed.
    "The key things have been addressed in Estancia. We're not aware that that's any key problem that needs immediate attention," said state Fire Marshal John Standeford.
    But the handful of violations that are left to fix need to be addressed "immediately," said Estancia Mayor Martin Hibbs.
    None of those remaining violations is "life impairing" but include things like upgrades to safety devices, Hibbs said.
    So why aren't they all fixed?
    The answer is partially due to the original fire plan approved by the state fire marshal and received by the town about three years ago, Hibbs said.
    The annual inspection letter that the town received on May 16 requires that the town upgrade some of those items formerly agreed upon between the town and the state fire marshal, Hibbs said.
    For example, even after the state fire marshal had "signed off on" a building plan with the current number of fire extinguishers, they asked for "four more fire extinguishers," Hibbs said.
    Other requested upgrades the town does not agree with include things like replacing a fire hydrant that had been in place but for some reason was no longer to be found.
    "Is it a danger? We need a fire hydrant. Was it an oversight? No, it wasn't. It's like changing the oil in your car— it's time to fix it. This is typical of the things that need to be done," Hibbs said.
    Another snag in getting the response letter finished also apparently hinges upon the local fire chief.
    When Hibbs went to Indiana in December to work on a construction program, he asked Mayor Pro Tem Ted Barela to work with Fire Chief Wayne Granger to finish a response letter to the fire marshal.
    "We're asking (Granger) to respond to each item individually ... (but) when I got back it was still not done. I met with Wayne one week ago," Hibbs said. The mayor said he is expecting that second response letter soon.
    Granger initially responded to the annual inspection letter on June 6, but the format of that first response letter "is not easy for someone to understand the status of the repairs, so we now have asked for a format that is understandable by anyone," Hibbs said.
    Hibbs gave Granger "an action plan" to fix the violations as early as a June 5 meeting of the Estancia Board of Trustees.