According to one local official, Harris County became the first Texas county to mandate backup power generation for heating and cooling systems in assisted living facilities and nursing homes located in the unincorporated part of the county.
In November, the Harris County Commissioners Court passed an amendment to the fire code, issuing the mandate effective on January 1.
“Here in Harris County, we’re taking steps to do better and protect our seniors,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said in a press conference announcing the mandate had taken effect. “During Hurricane Beryl, there were 14 nursing homes and 30 assisted living facilities without power.”
Fire Marshall Laurie Christensen, whose office will be “proactively engaging” with facilities to bring them into compliance, was also at the press conference. “We are the first county in Texas to adopt this as a standard, an amendment in our fire code. We also understand there is a cost to the businesses. That’s why we gave this period.”
“We’re in this together with all the facilities that are impacted by this amendment. We’re here to support you,” Briones said.
For those facilities that do not immediately come into compliance, Christensen said they will help develop action plans, but emphasized that they would not be shutting the doors to any facility that did not comply. Christensen said the state’s Health and Human Services Department is aware of the mandate and is prepared to assist with enforcement as well as with citations from the fire marshal’s office.
As local compliance officers visit facilities for state inspections, they will now be adding another check to make sure they are in compliance with the new county regulations. “This is going to be another box that we check,” Christensen said.
By the end of 2025, the approximately 120 facilities in unincorporated Harris County will need to comply or face citation, though how much they knew of this regulation is uncertain. The Texas Assisted Living Association told a local outlet that they were not brought in on the conversation and first heard about the change during the press conference.
Christensen’s office will be delivering cards detailing the guidelines to the facilities across the county and informing them of the new requirements, while Briones said she hopes this serves as a template for all other Texas counties.
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