Almost All MTA Train Yards Behind On Fire Pump Inspections: Watchdog

NEW YORK CITY — The discovery of inadequate fire pumps at an Upper Manhattan MTA train yard uncovered a wider concern: nearly all such transit facilities fell behind on important inspections, according to the agency’s watchdog.

Fire pumps at 22 of 23 NYC Transit facilities have not received required annual fire pump inspections since 2020, a letter made public Wednesday from acting Inspector General Elizabeth Keating states.

The review of inspections came after tests in March found the fire pump within the 207th Street train yard “failed almost immediately” because of poor water pressure — a situation that prompted officials to place the facility under a “fire watch.”

"Fire suppression systems play an important role in ensuring personnel and assets are protected from fires" Keating wrote in the letter to New York City Transit interim President Craig Cipriano. "However, we learned that NYC Transit has not kept up with the required annual testing cycles, and there is significant evidence that in-house personnel have not been sufficiently trained on or knowledgeable about NFPA code requirements to ensure the testing was properly performed."

An MTA spokesperson told Patch that New York City Transit a contractor who conducted a complete review of fire suppression systems at all 23 pumps over the last three weeks, as directed by the watchdog’s letter.

"There is no known fire safety hazard in New York City Transit train yards where we instituted preventative measures and had independent certified fire suppression experts assist in testing equipment and installing any necessary upgrades,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate fire safety strategy, keeping policies in alignment with industry-standard best practices."

Patch writer Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.

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