Burst sprinkler line forced residents from Leader facility: SHA

Residents at the Leader healthcare facility are expected to be able to return home by the end of February after flooding forced them out.

On Feb. 7, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) tweeted the Leader and District Integrated Healthcare Facility was evacuated due to a water line break.

Derek Miller, executive director on infrastructure management with the SHA, said Thursday he believes the break was due to a lack of insulation surrounding the line during the extreme cold temperatures.

It occurred in the ceiling bulkhead of the long-term care facility – originally built in 1975. Water entered the hallway and went into the acute care facility which just opened last year.

During the investigation, another sprinkler line burst due to existing ice surrounding it.

“In this case, the amount of water was limited and minimal additional damage was caused,” said Miller.

The facility’s backup generator also had to be disabled because water damaged some electronic equipment including the switch that transfers regular power to the backup generator.

“We killed the power so that we wouldn’t risk any fire or electrical issues,” said Miller.

Twenty-five long-term care residents had to be moved from the building.

The SHA has emergency preparedness plans for all of its facilities. In this case, residents were either sent home with their families or transferred to other care facilities located in Cabri, Kindersley, Maple Creek and Swift Current.

The SHA is reviewing if there is adequate insulation throughout the building.

Before the residents can return, Miller said the facility needs to dry out a bit more and an inspection needs to be done.

There is currently no estimate on how much the damage will cost the SHA.