Jon Moss
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Syracuse, N.Y. — A Syracuse charter school recently forced to close for nearly two weeks after high carbon monoxide levels has been hit with a new set of code violations, including for tampering with fire safety equipment.
The Syracuse Academy of Science High School at 1001 Park Ave. was cited Wednesday for tampering with a combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector, according to Capt. Phillip Vogt, a fire department spokesperson.
Firefighters made the discovery when they were called to the school at about 3 p.m. Tuesday for a carbon monoxide detector that was ringing, Vogt said.
Crews quickly determined there was no carbon monoxide issue, he said. The detector may have been activated by burning food.
Crews found the detector had several pieces of tape covering openings that lead to its sensors, Vogt said. School staff had taken it off its spot on the wall in the school kitchen and put it on a desk, he said. A different detector had been placed on the wall.
The school was cited twice under two separate New York state building codes for tampering with a life-safety device and failing to maintain a life-safety system, Vogt said. It was also cited for violating Syracuse’s property conservation code.
School officials said in a statement Wednesday that the person who tampered with the detector was a food service contractor, acting “contrary to earlier directives.”
“We are reemphasizing our safety protocols with the contractor to ensure such an action does not happen again,” the statement said.
The high school was closed for nearly two weeks last month after the high carbon monoxide levels sent five people to a hospital. The high levels of the colorless, odorless gas were caused by a food warmer in the kitchen, school officials previously said.
Firefighters detected the gas when they responded to a call for a man found in cardiac arrest at the school. Brian Deforge, a janitor cleaning the school overnight Jan. 7, was found in the cafeteria by school employees. He had died.
Several code violations were issued at the time, including for removing or tampering with fire safety equipment and that the school building was unfit for human occupancy. Online records show the code violations were marked resolved.
City officials have declined to say why those code violations were issued or what work was done to correct them.
Syracuse police continue to investigate Deforge’s death. No cause of death has been released.
Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.
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