MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE SHERIFF'S DEPT., ANOTHER FOIBLE

By Juan Montoya
You almost wonder in whose fertile mind this idea originated.

Was it Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza, or one of his formidable field marshals like Ramblado Rivera, of Santa Maria fame?

Whoever's idea it was, it, like the road to hell, was paved with good intentions.

Now a 6,000 gallon above-ground gasoline gas tank meant for emergencies and shortages like, say, a hurricane, can't be used because – under Rivera's supervision – it failed a fire inspection. 

But it didn't just fail, it failed miserably.

You remember Rivera, he is the guy who was installing cameras on patrol units and – even though he could only outfit the vehicles at one time – ordered the deputies to park them all until he finished.

And he was the prime suspect in arranging for the body work done on the sheriff's truck after it appeared that it had been involved in a collision. Reports indicate that the truck was taken to Santa Maria where the body work was performed and never went through the required accident reporting, drug and alcohol testing of the drivers, competitive bidding, etc.,

Everything looked good to the Rivera crew until it had to pass the standard fire inspection by Brownsville Fire Dept. Inspector/Investigator Ruben Garcia. His three-page inspection report revealed that the crew out at Olmito Rucker-Carrizales Corrections Center did not contact the inspector to be on site as they constructed it. As a result, inspectors couldn't document if the necessary leak inspections and other technical requirements for its installation were followed.

At least 12 corrective actions were cited in the report, and the inspector was unable to determine if certain safety features were installed because they were not present when the workers constructed the elevated tank.  

But the department went ahead and filled it with 6,000 gallons of gasoline. In his report on an inspection for leaks, Garcia stated that "One noticed, but unknown if it has fuel at this time."

Other demerits of the inspection involved: 

* CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIRED: Bonding wire clips at loading station operable - "Unknown not present at installation"

* CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIRED: Piping/Pumps bonded to the ground 

* CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIRED: No vegetation or materials to spread fire

* CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIRED: EIGHT OTHER CATEGORIES SUCH AS:

* No Fire extinguishers, no safety signage, piping not protected from vehicles, "No Smoking" signs missing, unknown if explosion-proof electrical equipment was installed, if grounding rods are available, no personnel training records, and no daily and monthly records inspections of fuel hoses.

Summary: "You are hereby notified that an inspection of your premises has disclosed the following violations of fire or fire and/or fire safety violations of the provisions of appropriate local and state fire/fire-safety codes. 
  

"No one at the location to explain the work done. Also work was done and we did not witness any of the work done." 

(Ed.'s Note: We are in the process of trying to get documentation on the total cost of materials and manpower that this latest boondoggle cost the sheriff's department. Since funding probably included money from the commissary revenue, it is managed by the department's administration. We'll keep trying.)