The Grinch hasn’t stolen Christmas from Saskatchewan Health Authority buildings; the authority is reassuring people things are just being moved around.
Some people have raised concerns recently after seeing some Christmas decorations being taken down in health authority buildings.
But Dale Orban, manager of parking services, safety and special projects for the Regina area in the health authority, was ready to reassure anyone with concerns on Tuesday.
“At no time did we say that we’re going to eliminate any decorations. We may be moving them and some may be of such an age that they had to be replaced.”
Orban said the health authority is just working with Regina Fire and Protective Services to get its buildings in line with the federal fire code.
That can mean things like moving trees from entryways and exits or removing decorations which don’t meet the code.
“If you’re hanging decorations from ceiling tiles and potentially blocking the spray from your overhead sprinkler system, that’s not allowed,” explained Orban.
He said some long-term care facilities took down old trees and ordered new ones because they couldn’t verify whether they complied with the fire code.
The health authority is in the midst of developing a formal policy that would apply across the province but it’s not done yet, so Orban said a list of guidelines was sent out for health authority properties to follow.
“We’re not trying to stop the celebration or to say you can’t decorate, but we just have to do it in a manner that’s conducive to the safety in the facilities.”