NCFPD board ratifies emergency repair of Station 2 gas line

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The fire chief of the North County Fire Protection District has the authority to issue an emergency repair and, two days after the Sept. 21 NCFPD board meeting, a propane leak at NCFPD Station 2 on Winterwarm Drive merited action prior to the next scheduled board meeting Oct. 26.

NCFPD Fire Chief Keith McReynolds notified NCFPD Board President John van Doorn before McReynolds authorized the repair Sept. 23. The board had no objections to the $6,500 repair and ratified the emergency repair declaration on a 4-0 vote Oct. 26 with David Kennedy absent.

"We don't wait for a board meeting when we have an emergency repair," McReynolds said.

"As fire chief I have the authority to authorize an emergency repair," McReynolds said. "We moved forward with that repair."

Replacing the propane tank at Station 2 was supposed to be a routine activity, but Fallbrook Propane Company encountered an unexpected situation. "They realized that there was a leak somewhere," McReynolds said.

The leak was underground between the propane tank and the fire station. "We wanted to get that repaired quickly to keep the fire station open," McReynolds said. "We authorized that so we could keep that fire station open and in service."

Fowler Plumbing and Restoration excavated the area, installed a new 1 1/4-inch Polypipe gas line from the tank to the building, connected that line to the existing gas line in the building, ran a new 1 1/4-inch black pipe connection to the side of the building and connected it to the tankless water heater, and ran a new 1 1/4-inch Polypipe gas line to the back-up generator.

The repair work was completed Oct. 6. "They put a team on it right away," McReynolds said. "It was a pretty quick repair."

The board approved the expenditure utilizing money which was allocated in the 2021-22 budget for special services.