MILAN--Students arriving at Milan High School for their first day back from break received a surprise.

Superintendent Bryan Girbach said a faulty water pressure valve on the building's sprinkler system was the cause of a false alarm on Monday, Jan. 5. The faulty valve caused a malfunction in the school's fire alarm system.

"The kids were never in any danger," he said, adding that the valve has since been fixed.

Lt. Fred Evans with the Milan Area Fire Department said the department received the call at 7:05 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5. Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.Firefighters arrived on the scene only to discover it was a false alarm.

There was no fire, no injuries, nothingits the kind of calls we like, he said.

The department was on scene about 15 minutes, which allowed them time to investigate and make sure there were no issues, he said.

Superintendent Bryan Girbach said a faulty water pressure valve on the building's sprinkler system was the cause of a false alarm on Monday, Jan. 5. The faulty valve caused a malfunction in the school's fire alarm system.

"The kids were never in any danger," he said, adding that the valve has since been fixed.

Lt. Fred Evans with the Milan Area Fire Department said the department received the call at 7:05 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5. Classes begin at 7:30 a.m.Firefighters arrived on the scene only to discover it was a false alarm.

There was no fire, no injuries, nothingits the kind of calls we like, he said.

Originally posted here:
Technical issue causes fire alarm to malfunction at Milan High School (UPDATED at 12:24 p.m.)

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By Pashtana Usufzy (contact)

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 | 9:57 a.m.

An aerosol can exploded and one person suffered minor burns in a small flash fire at a northwest valley senior apartment complex Friday evening, fire officials said.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue officials received a report at 5:22 p.m. of an activated sprinkler system at the Decatur Pines Senior Apartments at 6741 N. Decatur Blvd., located near Deer Springs Way, spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

One person suffered minor burns and was transported to University Medical Center, he said.

The fire was extinguished by sprinklers, and fire crews cleaned up the scene, he said.

Someone was using a leaking aerosol can and lit a candle in a bathroom, starting a fire that lasted only about one second, the department said.

The sprinkler system was activated, and water from the sprinklers seeped into other apartments, causing electrical issues, Szymanski said.

The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada is aiding eight people displaced by the fire, he said.

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Aerosol can explodes, injuring one person at senior apartment complex

Posted: Saturday, January 3, 2015 3:01 am

Fire in electrical panel sets off alarms at Holdrege hospital World-Herald News Service The Omaha World-Herald

HOLDREGE, Neb. Phelps Memorial Health Center rang in the New Year with fire alarms Thursday night, when a malfunctioning electrical panel caused a small fire in the lower level of the hospital.

At 9:31 p.m., the Holdrege Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire call at the hospital because of smoke in a maintenance room at the hospital. Fifteen firefighters were on scene for about 30 minutes, Fire Chief Jim Wagner said.

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Fire in electrical panel sets off alarms at Holdrege hospital

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Rain Bird In Ground Automatic Sprinkler System Kit - Video

OKLAHOMA CITY -

Around 8 p.m. Wednesday night, Oklahoma City fire crews responded to the Wesley Village Retirement Home and found the sprinkler system going off, and flooding in many of the units there.

Well at first it was a trickle and then in a matter of minutes it was a gusher, said Arthur Copeland, who lives on the fourth floor of the Wesley Village housing complex.

Copeland called News 9 for help as soon as the building started flooding. We looked our floor over, and saw it wasn't necessary to evacuate our floor because it was going below us.

Residents took the News 9 crew inside to see some of the damage up close.

Most of the water had been cleaned up by the time the News team arrived. But, you could still see where it flooded the stairways and the ceiling tiles of the first floor, second floor and third floor.

It even caused the buildings only elevator to be out of order and caused water damage to at least one person's stove and kitchen.

Everything was gushing and coming down pretty fast, said Copeland.

The Oklahoma City Fire Department told News 9 they responded to a 911 call at the retirement facility Wednesday night, and found the sprinkler systems going off on the third floor, but there were no signs of fire or a gas leak.

They say they did find a stove that was left on, which was spewing gas fumes into the air.

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Metro Retirement Community Floods Sparking Concerns With Residents

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BEND, Ore. -

Building owners, occupants, facility managers and building maintenance personnel: If you have not already done so, NOW is the time to take the preventive measures to prevent fire sprinkler systems from freezing, Bend fire officials said Monday.

Here's a news release from Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Bond:

Weather forecasts anticipate temperatures to stay below freezing for a prolonged period of time. Bend Fire & Rescue responds to several fire sprinkler activations due to pipes breaking from freezing every year. We want to remind you to take action now to prevent costly damage.

Most fire sprinkler systems that do freeze are the result of lack of maintenance. Ensure that all periodic maintenance has been completed. Contact your fire sprinkler service company to schedule service if it is overdue. Frequencies for maintenance vary depending on the type of system that is installed. Contact your local fire department for information related to maintenance.

Often times the cause of a sprinkler system freeze is inadequate heating. While there are a few sprinkler types designed to operate in cold temperatures, the majority of fire sprinkler pipe must be installed in areas that can maintain a minimum temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure your heating and ventilation systems are in good working order. Ensure that thermostats are not set below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. When using supplemental heating equipment utilize only equipment that is listed and approved for its intended use.

Always provide at least 3 feet of clearance when using portable space heaters. Low temperature alarms may be used to alert responsible parties, particularly in normally unoccupied areas. That way, if heating equipment fails or the area otherwise drops below 40 degrees, the cause of the failure can be corrected before pipes freeze.

If you have had any recent maintenance repairs or remodeling that may have compromised the insulation above ceilings, check those areas to ensure that the insulation has been reinstalled correctly. Frequently insulation may be removed to accommodate a repair and restoring it to the original condition is often overlooked. Properly insulated and heated areas will prevent your sprinkler system from freezing.

These simple steps can prevent the costly damage from fire sprinkler pipe breaks, not to mention time lost to restore your building back to full operation. Check your fire sprinkler system today. Call your service company to schedule maintenance. Check your heating and ventilation system. Use safe heating practices. Call your local fire department for any questions related to fire sprinkler systems and how to prevent a freeze.

Continued here:
Bend FD offers cold-snap sprinkler system warning

Dulaney High School is one of the top high schools in the state in terms of academics, but its decades-old water pipes aren't performing as well.

Three times in the past year pipes have burst. In one instance, water filled the orchestra pit in the auditorium during a winter break and ruined musical instruments. In another, the school lobby was flooded and assistant principals joined custodians as they desperately tried to sweep water out the front door while a plumber worked to shut off the flow.

These stories, as well as the lack of air conditioning, the rusted sinks, cloudy windows and cracked tiles, motivated parents Kristin Panousos and Lisa McClellan to begin a campaign to fix the school. With all the other responsibilities teachers and administrators have this year, said Panousos, "I am blown away they are dealing with a building that is crumbling around them."

Dulaney is one of the many school buildings across Baltimore County in need of repairs and upgrades, according to a new report by a consultant for the school board. The assessment rated each of the 173 buildings, giving them a score of one to five. A five was given to just 13 schools, most either built or renovated in the past several years. The majority of schools received a two or a three.

Fourteen schools scored below a two, indicating serious problems. The lowest score, a 1.03, went to Colgate Elementary, in the southeastern part of the county. The 90-year-old building contains asbestos, lacks air conditioning and is on a busy street. The wiring and pipes need replacing, there's no sprinkler system, the corridors are narrow and the lighting is poor, according to the report.

Despite its problems and those at Dulaney, there are no plans to address the deficiencies.

Although the county has committed to spend $1.1 billion to repair and replace schools in the next decade, a good portion of that money will be spent simply trying to keep up with school system enrollment, which has grown by 5,000 students over the past five years.

Many of Baltimore County's elementary schools are bursting at the seams, with trailers accommodating the overflow. According to school system figures, there were 2,900 more students in the elementary schools this year than there were seats or what the state rates the schools to hold.

As in Baltimore, where $980 million will be invested in the next several years for upgrades and renovations to city schools, the county has schools that are aging, lack air conditioning and haven't been updated in years. But unlike the city, which after years of declining enrollment has too many seats, the county faces pressure to upgrade schools at the same time it must build new ones.

The county has built several new elementary schools in recent years in the Towson area, where the overcrowding has been the worst, but more schools need to be added in other fast-growing areas.

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Four-year plan calls for major upgrades for schools

Two of five people who died Sunday morning in a fire at a senior living high-rise in Castle Hills have been identified. City officials, meanwhile, acknowledged that the building did not have a sprinkler system in place.

According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner, Jose O. Gonzales, 73, and Karen Rae Betz, 74, died around 6 a.m. when a fire gutted at least one floor of the 11-story Wedgwood Senior Living apartments in the 6700 block of Blanco Road.

Gonzales who lived next door to apartment 302, where authorities believe the blaze started died from smoke inhalation and complications due to cardiovascular disease, according to the medical examiner. The cause and manner of death for Betz, who lived in apartment 701, has not yet been determined.

Karen Betz was a widow who moved from Iowa to San Antonio in 2009, according to her son and daughter, Michael and Michelle Betz.

She came down here because I'm retired military and I was living here, and she wanted to move to where it was warmer, Michelle Betz said. She would bake and cook and take things to her neighbors.

On Sunday morning, Karen Betz called her sister to say there was smoke in the hallways. The sister then called Michelle Betz.

There had been false alarms. Sometimes, there would be some smoke. She would report the guy down the hall because he'd be smoking. And so, you didn't know when the alarms went off. This was the real thing, Michelle Betz said, her voice trailing off.

The siblings said they await the results of the investigation and an autopsy, but added that she will be buried in Iowa and services will be there. Karen Betz's husband, Allan, worked at John Deere in Iowa for several years. He passed away a few years ago.

Authorities have not yet released the identities of the three others who were killed because they had been only tentatively identified and next of kin had not been notified.

Castle Hills Mayor Tim Howell described the fire as the worst catastrophe the city has experienced to his knowledge. In a tweet to his followers Sunday afternoon, Gov.-elect Greg Abbott said he is praying for the victims of the fire and expressed thanks to first-responders.

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High-rise fire victims family: 'There had been false alarms