Fulton County Jail officials will be using a local elementary school kitchen to prepare meals for detainees as repairs to the jail's kitchen continue following a carbon monoxide leak.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office announced it has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools and will be using local school kitchens for the time being.
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office reported gas has been turned back on in the jail's kitchen. The kettle that was emitting high levels of carbon monoxide still needs to be tested, which they hope to complete on Thursday.
The exhaust fan above the kettle is not working, and the sheriff's office said in a news release that they are procuring parts needed to repair the problem but are not sure when they will arrive.
Contractors are also working on the facility's air conditioning system.
Wednesday, July 17
Gas leak at Fulton County Jail leads to low carbon monoxide levels Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department and EMS responded to the scene on Rice Street after high carbon monoxide levels in the kitchen for the second day in a row.
According to a news release from the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor that was installed Tuesday night sounded an alarm around 8 a.m. today. Kitchen staff also began experiencing symptoms associated with CO exposure. Fifteen kitchen staff members were tested and two were taken to the hospital.
The cause of today's high CO levels was determined to be a second kettle. Natural gas was also leaking from the supply line into the stove, according to the release. A fault was found in the service piping of the gas line leading into the building. Atlanta Gas Light was on scene to determine whether to repair or replace the regulator.
“For the second consecutive day, AFRD and EMS were called and the Fulton County Jail had to shut down kitchen operations due to a gas line-related issue,” Sheriff Pat Labatt said in the release.
During the gas outage, residents will be provided with cold meals until further notice. Staff meals will be provided by a food vendor.
Labatt said the air conditioning has been broken since April and temperatures inside the prison have reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tuesday, July 16
The Fulton County Jail kitchen was put on lockdown Tuesday by the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department after a carbon monoxide leak sent one employee to the hospital.
Sheriff Pat Labatt said in a news release that the kitchen was immediately evacuated after employees began showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, including nausea.
According to the statement, the contract worker who went to the hospital in his own car was hospitalized. All other kitchen staff, including contract workers, directors and employees, were safe.
Labatt said a private contractor confirmed high levels of carbon monoxide in the kitchen. The leak did not appear to affect other areas of the prison.
The source of the leak was found to be one of the eight kettles in the kitchen, six of which were out of order as of 1:30 p.m. today. The statement said the kitchen needs at least four kettles in operation to cook nearly 8,000 meals each day. That number can sometimes rise to 11,000 meals depending on the population.
Some of the food was prepared in advance in case of an emergency, and the sheriff's office did not know when the kitchen would be operational.
“This leak is yet another example of infrastructure problems at our ageing and underfunded prison that have led to health issues for other inmates and a stabbing incident caused by a weapon made from one of the buildings,” Rabat said in a statement.
The sheriff protested the Fulton County Commission's recent decision to evaluate renovating the existing jail facility and not build a new one.
