Residents at a Black Diamond seniors facility could feel an added sense of security in the coming months.
Approximately $410,000 worth of fire-protection measures will be added to the High Country Lodge in the Province’s $80 million commitment to upgrade sprinkler, fire and safety systems in 105 housing and continuing care facilities across Alberta.
The High Country Lodge was built in 1977 and consists of 41 units.
“It’s not to say the fire alarm we have is not adequate,” said Lauren Ingalls, chief administrative officer with the Foothills Foundation. “The precautions we have right now are excellent, it’s just that we don’t have something putting out the fire.”
Ingalls said the facility has a sprinkler system in the mechanical and storage rooms, a system that sprays chemicals in the kitchen and an alarm panel that shows the location of smoke and fire and automatically dials the fire department.
Yet the facility needs sprinklers in the tenant units and common area.
“One of our key priorities in housing our seniors is keeping them safe and secure,” she said. “It will just be that added precaution in addition to the monthly fire drills to ensure seniors are truly safe because of that high risk.”
Ingalls said this is a project the Foothills Foundation couldn’t afford on its own.
“The cost is just a prohibitive factor,” she said. “Our capital budget for all four of our supportive living lodges is under $200,000 per year, so being able to accommodate anything like this is huge.”
High Country Lodge staff don’t allow smoking in the building and practice monthly fire drills and annual evacuations for the safety of its residents and staff, yet Ingalls said one can never be too careful.
She said it’s common in the event of an emergency for residents to experience panic or confusion, and evacuating a burning building is a challenge for those with physical or cognitive impairments.
With recent fires in seniors’ homes in such places as Canmore and Rocky Mountain House, it’s a project that’s overdue, said Ingalls.
“It’s about time these sprinklers be installed in seniors supportive living facilities,” she said. “This system is one of the many things that we do to try to ensure seniors’ ongoing safety.”
After a seniors’ home burned down and claimed 32 lives in Quebec last year, the Province looked at those facilities requiring fire protection upgrades.
“Premier Prentice identified this as something we want to make a priority,” said Jeff Johnson, Alberta’s Senior Minister. “This is all his direction. It’s a great testament to where his head is at and the priority of our parents and grandparents in Alberta and we need to up our game.”
Facilities were selected based on property and operations assessments completed by housing management bodies and Alberta Health Services, with priority given to those posing the biggest safety risks.
Johnson said most facilities were built in the 1960s to 1980s, yet upgrades to the fire codes occurred in the 1990s and 2000s.
“The dollars that we’ve got set aside for each site are based on recent work that we’ve had done and recent projections and pricing,” he said. “That’s not to say that some projects could come in less and some projects could come in a little more. Depending on the age of the building and what they decide to do with it, if they come across other issues or need a dedicated water line to the building to run it.”
Johnson said the money pays for sprinklers and other related items that might be appropriate, whether it be alarm systems or strobe lights.
“It depends on the age and what kind of capacity the building has,” he said. “We are trying to make sure they are brought up to current standards, specifically with the light and alarms and sprinklers.”
The facilities will be presented the funds in progress payments, said Johnson.
“The plan is to roll out grants to the local housing to do the work,” he said. “Some might have already priced it out and some might want to tender some things. We want to let them do as much as they want by themselves. They’ll be able to do it faster.”
The $80-million will be covered primarily through the financial reserves of the Alberta Social Housing Corporation and previously-allocated investments to replace or improve seniors’ housing.
