Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, Eddy County Commissioners discussed alarming concerns regarding fire safety at the county’s courthouse.
Ahead of fire prevention month, in October, Eddy County Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson said she was reviewing the courthouse’s current plans in case of a fire, intending to update names and numbers where necessary.
But she first came across a part of the plan that states, “in the case of a fire, pull the alarm.”
She told commissioners she didn’t recall where the alarms were located, and that when she searched for them in the courthouse, there were none to be found.
“I searched the main level, I searched the upper and the lower levels, and I went ‘oh my god, we don’t have an alarm system,’” said Thompson.
Worse yet, she discovered there was only a single smoke detector in the whole building - located on the main level - which wasn’t even operational, and that the building’s fire extinguishers were outdated.
Thompson made it clear that she understood the obvious danger, especially for such a historical building, and that maintenance staff have since addressed the most immediate and easiest to solve concerns.
“This place, at a hundred and some years old, would go up like a matchstick if we had a fire,” she remarked.
On Tuesday, Thompson told the Transcript that working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are now installed, and that up-to-date fire extinguishers will have arrived by week’s end.
That just leaves some kind of built-in alarm system, she added.
“Depending on to what extent they wanna go, but yeah we need to be able to set an alarm off in some way, shape or form,” she said. “If they decide to go full scale, then that could go all the way up to fire suppression, water sprinklers, but it all depends on money available.”
All this news came as a surprise to commissioners, who couldn’t seem to recall whether or not there was an alarm system to begin with.
Thompson said some individuals who have been at the courthouse longest remember seeing an alarm system at some point. Others couldn’t remember one at all.
If there was an alarm system, where it went seems to be anyone’s guess for now.
“They remodeled ceilings and sections over time, and we’re thinking it might have gotten pulled out when they remodeled and then just never updated, and it just slipped through the cracks,” said Thompson.
Commissioners did not make a decision as to what kind of alarm system will eventually be installed, as Thompson intends to return with quotes for different options at a future meeting.
Meanwhile, Thompson said work getting the Brown Memorial designated as New Rockford’s new emergency shelter is ongoing.
“The things we need are power, WiFi, some upgrades to the electrical equipment, and then if you’re going to have a place where you’re going to shelter people you need a shower,” she told commissioners.
Thompson added that she’ll be attending the New Rockford City Commission’s next meeting for further discussions.
Also discussed at Tuesday’s regular meeting was progress on the Lake Washington Road project.
Eddy County Road Superintendent, Todd Weber, told commissioners that paving and striping has been completed, with chip sealing still to come next year as scheduled. Both he and the commissioners added that residents in the area are pleased with the result.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8:30 a.m. in the courthouse.
