Building Inspectors

Organized Labor

Paul Ortiz, Senior Electrical Inspector
I’ve inspected electrical installations at the deYoung Museum, the Academy of Arts, the Four Seasons Hotel, the Metreon. It is exciting; the contractors were the top of their field, doing cutting edge electrical work. It’s a dual learning process. We show them how to comply with the codes, and they give us information about the new technology. We look at the power distribution of the electrical equipment, the rating for the size of the wire, and the auto protection devices to make sure that the whole system works together. If a breaker is not appropriately rated for the system, you can have violence. It's like a Roman candle going off. Most people don't understand how dangerous a piece of equipment can be. It can come at you at over 35,000° Farenheit and at about 700 miles an hour. We have to speak in different terms to different people. When we speak to a certified electrician, we speak in a different language than when we speak to a homeowner. We deal with people from all different areas of the city and different economic groups, from people who can barely afford to have electrical work done to people who can afford the best. And we make sure everybody gets treated fairly, with a personal touch and understanding. Electricity is the most important thing that society needs, and when there is a fire or an emergency, we work to get it back on as fast as possible so people can get back in their homes. Eight years ago, we had some transformers hit by lightning down in the West Portal area. Service went out to 66 homes. We spent Saturday and Sunday inspecting them to get them back in service. Sometimes we’re out till eight or nine o'clock at night. We’re on call 24-7.