On Wednesday, June 12, a fire sprinkler head in the attic of the second floor of the Preschool failed and flooded several rooms. It was an ‘upright’ sprinkler head in the attic space, not one of the ceiling-level heads that can be visually inspected. Upright heads are required in wood-framed attics. The two story classroom building was constructed in 1988 and has had at least one similar failure in the past. The cost to open all the attics to inspect and/or replace all upright heads will be explored.
Thankfully, the sprinkler system has the required flow-detection switch which sounded an alarm and the Tempe Fire Department arrived quickly. Trustee, Jim Chamness, bless him, also arrived quickly and contacted our insurance company who recommended a reputable remediation company … who arrived within hours to start the remediation of the affected rooms. Carpet and drywall will need to be replaced to ensure that everything is safely dried and bleached to prevent mold. The floor structure is steel and concrete so no structural damage occurred. The Preschool is disrupted but they will adjust to this unfortunate accident,
Sprinkler systems are critical to saving and limiting property damage so we can be thankful the system has pressure and coverage. Like all building components, water leaks will occur and the price of our coverage is the price we pay for safety.
Tom Brown
Trustees Chair