This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Chino.
The isolation issue has been frustrating. While every third bed was taken out of service, the wall-mounted 48” oscillating fans at each end of the dorm room during the warmer months would blow coughs and sneezes half way down the dorm, from either end. In addition to that, these buildings from the 40s house inmates who are taking ‘hot meds,’ which makes them sensitive to warmer temperatures.
The rooftop exhaust fan designed to remove the radiated heat from the dorm has been non-operational since February. We went through three record heat waves this past summer. When it’s 120 outside, it’s 115 in here. And with 75 bodies on each side, the heat lasts into the evening with no negative or positive pressure.
I’m certified since 1974 in commercial HVAC. When I sent a friendly informal letter to the AW of operations, who I spoke with previously, the letter was intercepted. I was called in front of the Captain who made it clear I should go through the chain of command for work orders, which a survey will reveal do not get generated.
When this ‘crisis’ first got underway, groups of five to 20 people would be called all of a sudden to move to another building, out to the tents, or to another yard. When this happens, a loss of acquired property takes place. Social interactions are broken up like musicians, educational mentors, craft projects, and of course the addicts and their suppliers. The stress of sudden movement, unnecessary loss of property, social reintegration in new areas creates cortisol in older people which diminishes the immune system, the very function the objective is to protect. A lot of arbitrary moves and money spending took place.
The company testing the swabs, Quest Labs, is known for false positives. My ‘bunkie’ and assistant for the repair shop was moved to the tents in March. Neither of us has displayed any symptoms. He gets air conditioning, I get 115 degrees.
Ironically, the heat med inmates remain in the building, outside of ASHRA 64 building codes. When the rooftop exhaust fan was fixed last December, the hot-shot worker put a motor in two to three times the RPM rating. When it started up, the pulley would squeal on the belt. The motor would overheat due to the torque mismatch, and shut down after 10 to 15 minutes to cool off. Then it would happen all over again, all night long, over the sleeping area. The excessive speed finally destroyed the turbine bearings and it locked up.
That was last April. Grainger industrial supply delivers in 48 hours. I’ve offered to help. No response. Now with the cool weather, the windows get closed. The farts and the coughs and spent air are there to greet us in the morning.
