HFD: 'No citation' memo doesn't mean 'no citations'
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- After days of denials from the Houston Fire Department and Mayor Annise Parker's administration that fire inspectors were ordered not to issue tickets to city-owned buildings, ABC-13 obtained a memo showing exactly that order from fire department brass.
"As part of the Fire Department Strategic Plan we have been requested to inspect all city buildings... Please follow Chief Valenti's direction below. Under the direction of Chief Valenti we are NOT to issue citations to these facilities," said the February 26 memo emailed from Chief Inspector George Meadows, referring to Deputy Fire Marshall John Valenti.
When confronted with the email on Wednesday, Houston fire officials said that there were some "misinterpretations."
"It's always been the policy," to ticket city-owned buildings," fire department spokesman Capt. Ruy Lozano said. "But there were some misinterpretations. If anyone is thinking that that was the policy, then there's been some problems in the communication process and we'll correct it."
Lozano pointed to another part of the email with Valenti's directions saying "leave a copy of the notice with the person in charge of the facility." Lozano said that "notice" could also mean "citation."
Lozano also conceded to ABC-13: "If you saw it that way, others might also."
A group of inspectors initially told ABC-13 that had been told not to issue tickets to city-owned buildings -- and they were not happy about the order.
See Monday's ABC-13 fire inspection investigation by clicking here.
"If you're not handing out tickets or doing re-inspections. then of course the question is: Are any other buildings dangerous?" said Randall Kallinen, an attorney representing those fire inspectors.
No tickets had been issued to city buildings, according to a review of court records.
Kallinen and his clients spoke at City Hall on Tuesday about the city building inspections, as well as problems they have with the inspectors overtime system.
At the time, the administration dismissed the inspectors' claims and called the inspectors "disgruntled."
Indeed, on Tuesday, top fire department leadership, including Fire Marshal Richard Galvan, insisted the no-ticket order was never given. And Mayor Parker said that there were no problems with city-owned buildings, and if there were they had been fixed.
Read the email memo in its entirety below.
Producer: Trent Seibert
