Harris County is updating fire codes after Hurricane Beryl and launching a fire safety campaign ahead of the holidays

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Tuesday that the county is updating its fire codes in response to Hurricane Beryl, with a focus on improving emergency preparedness measures for the senior community.

She was accompanied by Laurie Christensen, chief of the Harris County Fire Department, and Mark Sloan, dispatcher of the Harris County Office of Emergency Management.

The district judge said that after the derecho and Hurricane Beryl, Harris County updated its fire codes from the 2018 National Safety Code to the 2021 Fire Code.

Hidalgo stated that this will help improve emergency preparedness, such as making school inspections mandatory instead of optional. Another example she used was the massive power outage following Hurricane Beryl, which left millions of people without power and caused the deaths of 38 residents.

Hidalgo said when the power went out, assisted living facilities relied on generators and the county would ensure there was backup power for heating or cooling centers throughout Harris County.

Hidalgo also focused on its public awareness campaign on the proper disposal and storage of lithium-ion batteries and the electronics containing them, emphasizing the importance of certified safe products during the holiday gifting season.

So far this year, there have been several fires at scrap yards and recycling facilities due to lithium batteries.

Hidalgo said these fires pose a challenge and the province 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 these batteries should come by Earth911.com to find a location where lithium batteries are safely recycled.

Hidalgo also acknowledged the death of a fallen Houston firefighter Marcelo “Ox” Garcia IIIwho died from injuries sustained while battling a warehouse fire. Garcia served with HFD for ten years, the last six at Station 23.

Garcia is the first Houston Fire Department firefighter to die while fighting a blaze since the 2013 Southwest Inn fire, which killed several firefighters.