Commissioners OK fire alarm repair

Comanche County commissioners approved repairs to the Comanche County Courthouse fire alarm system not to exceed $5,000 during Monday morning’s regular meeting.   

Central District Commissioner Johnny Owens, who is responsible for overseeing the operations of the courthouse, said the repairs will bring the courthouse into compliance with fire codes.   

The courthouse fire alarms were “yellowtagged” by Lawton Fire Marshal Mark Mitchell, which means the system is operable, but has components that are not working properly after an inspection in October. The repairs are expected to be completed within about a week, Owens said.   

The unpopular hourly “smoke checks” — in which a courthouse employee must sign off on a log in every office hourly to show that there is no smoke or fire in the office — will continue until the fire marshal tells Owens they are no longer necessary, the commissioner said.   

The hourly logs have drawn complaints from courthouse workers. The “smoke checks” are an alternative system to the fire alarms to ensure the safety of courthouse workers under National Fire Protection Association codes while the fire alarms are not working properly.   

Owens said there are other repairs that will need to be made in the near future, including adding strobe lights on alarms and installing telephones in the elevators.