Audit: Out of 226 Facilities, Only 1 Complied with Fire Safety Rules

Georgia’s State Audit Office (SAO) reports that out of 226 checked facilities in the first half of last year, only one was in line with fire safety standards.

The SAO Efficiency Report was published on March 21 and reflects fire safety issues in Georgia in 2016-2017, as well as in the first half of 2018.

The audit revealed that fire safety requirements were not met in most areas of supervision, and reaction to recommendations issued by the service was characterized as low.

The SAO says that in the first half of 2018, recommendations issued in previous years were only fulfilled by 14% of objects (59 objects out of 408).

The report says in the first half of 2018, 50% of the violators were not fined and after the court’s decision, the functioning of only one facility was suspended.

In addition, the SAO says in the first half of 2018, 21% of the fines were not paid. The Audit Office claims the fire safety service has no effective control over the payment of penalties, this is why the system does not function properly.

By Thea Morrison