A day before a fire ripped through a New York State Supreme Court building in Lower Manhattan, a whistleblower fire safety inspector told THE CITY that he was transferred after voicing a series of serious safety concerns at the courthouse next door.
The fire panel system inside Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Centre St. hasn’t been properly serviced since it was installed over a decade ago, according to the whistleblower, who works for a contractor under the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and asked that hisname not be used for fear of further retaliation.
As a result, there are multiple “trouble signals” that are displayed on the building’s main fire control panel showing several disabled fire alarms and other safety devices.
“I’ve been complaining over and over again about various very serious lapses in safety and the lack of maintenance on the system overall,” said the whistleblower who has worked at the location for approximately five years. “I mean, if a building like this in the private sector were to be in this kind of state, they would be shut down immediately by the FDNY.”
In March, the Fire Department issued a violation notice for failing to provide and maintain “fire protection and / or communication system in good working order.” The violation also notes that the building’s fire alarm control panel was “showing trouble.”
The whistleblower — who shared a recent photo of the panel indicating a host of warnings and a lit “disabled” light — says DCAS totally blew off the violation and never made any repairs.
The whistleblower has worked as a fire alarm safety director for the private firm Allied Universal for approximately five years. DCAS, which is in charge of maintenance of the Centre Street courthouses and others throughout the city, contracts with Allied.
A DCAS spokesperson Anessa Hodgson said the agency does not discuss “private conversations” and stressed that the fire system at the courthouse “remains operational.”
Representatives for Allied and the FDNY did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shuffled Around and Shut Up
The whistleblower also alleges that sprinkler and standpipe switches at the courthouse have not been properly serviced since they were installed by the city’s Department of Design and Construction over a decade ago.
Earlier this year, the Allied fire safety staffer voiced concerns to his immediate bosses as well as state Department of Labor officials about the busted and outdated systems. On Nov. 14, he emailed higher ups at Allied and DCAS — and the department’s “tenant relations” team as a last resort.
That message was dismissed by a DCAS staffer who said it should be disregarded because the sender was not authorized to send the email without consent from his bosses.
The whistleblower says his Allied supervisor transferred him to another location in downtown Brooklyn the next day.
“It seems there’s an attempt to retaliate and silence information about 100 Centre’s worsening condition,” he charged. “By moving me away from the site, I am less exposed to the ongoing cover up efforts.”
Spreading Fire Worries
The concerns over fire safety at the historic courthouse built in 1938 come as the Adams administration faces scrutiny over how it conducts fire safety inspections.
THE CITY has detailed multiple examples of how the FDNY has canceled a dozen inspections, including at a Brooklyn public school, to fast track City Hall VIPs and favored developers.
Fire chiefs raised alarms about favoritism for well-connected developers at the start of the Adams administration in 2022, according to internal emails.
The fire safety fears also come after a blaze was started by a person burning documents inside the New York State Supreme Court building at 60 Centre St. a little after 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the FDNY.
Officials said 17 people suffered minor injuries and two were taken to a nearby hospital. The others refused medical attention, according to the FDNY.
The man who allegedly started the fire, Paul Nesbitt, was charged with attempted arson, according to court records.
In 2010, eight people suffered minor injuries after a two-alarm fire ripped through the basement at 100 Centre St. They included five firefighters, two civilians and one detainee.
The building was evacuated and remained closed for several days after the incident.
“Soon after [that fire] they installed the fire alarm safety panel,” the whistleblower said. “The natural gas lines are easily accessible to anyone who knows where it is.”