Report shows fire safety concerns at Jackson County Detention Center [Video]

The Kansas City Fire Department says the Jackson County Detention Center doesn’t have a working fire alarm or sprinkler system.The report comes after a concerned whistleblower came forward, forcing the city to inspect the county-owned facility.The Kansas City Fire Department’s Bureau of Fire Prevention has inspected the detention center and found two significant safety hazards.”Those are some pretty big deals,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jimmy Walker. “It’s the severity of these violations that gives you pause.”An inspection report signed on April 8 documents eight failures — all are hazards, but the fire alarm and sprinkler system repairs are the biggest.Any other residential facility in the city would have to get them repaired within a month.”It definitely makes the necessity to have a working sprinkler system imperative,” Walker said.The fire department says the county should do hourly “fire watch” on all occupied floors until the issues are resolved.”Sprinklers aren’t designed to …