HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced on Tuesday that the county is updating its fire codes in response to Hurricane Beryl, with a focus on enhancing emergency preparedness measures for the senior citizen community.
She was joined by Harris County Fire Marshal Chief Laurie Christensen and Mark Sloan, coordinator for the Harris County Office of Emergency Management.
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The county judge said after the derecho and Hurricane Beryl, Harris County has updated its fire codes from the national 2018 safety code to the 2021 fire code.
Hidalgo stated that this will help improve emergency preparedness, such as making school inspections a requirement instead of optional. Another example she used was the massive power outage after Hurricane Beryl that left millions without power and caused the death of 38 residents.
Hidalgo said when the power went out, assistant living facilities relied on generators and the county will ensure to have backup power for warming or cooling centers throughout Harris County.
Hidalgo also addressed the public awareness campaign about proper disposal and storage of lithium-ion batteries and electronics that contain them, as well as understanding the importance of certified safe products this holiday gift-giving season.
So far this year, there have been several fires back-to-back at scrapyards and recycling facilities due to lithium batteries.
Hidalgo said these fires have been a challenge and the county is taking steps to prevent such fires and protect the lives of our local firefighters.
She said people are not disposing of lithium batteries properly and should be treated as hazardous materials. Those who want to dispose of those batteries should visit Earth911.com to find a location that safely recycles lithium batteries.
Hidalgo also acknowledged the death of fallen Houston firefighter Marcelo “Ox” Garcia III, who died from injuries he suffered while battling a warehouse fire. Garcia served with HFD for 10 years, the last six with Station 23.
Garcia is the first firefighter with the Houston Fire Department to die while fighting a fire since the 2013 Southwest Inn fire that killed several firefighters.