Sanirajak school sprinkler system fixed after nearly a year
Cost of 24-hour fire watch totalled $204,000
The Arnaqjuaq School in Sanirajak now has a functioning sprinkler system after a new pump was installed March 30. The school had been without a functioning sprinkler system since May 2022 after multiple repairs were needed to fix it. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
After nearly a year of being under a 24-hour fire watch, Sanirajak’s school now has a functioning sprinkler system.
Arnaqjuaq School’s sprinklers were repaired March 30 when a new fire pump was installed and the system is working again, Department of Education spokesperson Krista Amey said Tuesday.
The school had been without a functioning sprinkler system since May of last year. In its place, a 24-hour fire watch was implemented where a team of 21 people hired on a full-time, part-time and relief work basis took shifts monitoring the school.
Part of the sprinkler was fixed in November, but when a different part had to be ordered it pushed back repairs of the system by months.
Arnaqjuaq is the only school in the community of about 900 people.
The cost of the fire watch totalled $204,000, which came out of the local district education authority’s pocket.
However, that amount was reimbursed by the Education Department, Amey said. The total cost of parts and labour was estimated to be $90,000 last December.
Amittuq MLA Joelie Kaernerk said in an email that he hopes further work will also be done to address other maintenance issues at the school such as overcrowding and plumbing problems.
Lets see how long the School in Sanikiluaq will be on 24 hour fire watch before its fixed, a month so far.