The B.C. Supreme Court has found the Nanaimo parents of a 14-year-old boy liable for more than $48,000 in damages caused by a school prank.

In a decision released Thursday, Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick said during lunch break on Jan. 17, 2012 in response to a dare, Carson Dean put a padlock on a sprinkler head in Wellington secondary school.

That set off the firefighting system and the alarm causing extensive water damage.

Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District No. 68 sued parents, Cheryl and Kevin Dean, and won $48,630.47 plus interest and legal costs yet to be assessed for the two-day November trial on Vancouver Island.

I am sure that this is a very unfortunate result for the Dean family and perhaps it will be for other families in the future, Justice Fitzpatrick said.

This was clearly the result of a young boy (now 17) misbehaving and thinking that the only grief to come of it would be to (his friend and the locks owner) Ben and perhaps the janitor in removing the padlock. Obviously, more dire consequences followed.

The central issue concerned interpretation of section 10 of the School Act, which says: If property of a board is destroyed, damaged, lost or converted by the intentional or negligent act of a student that student and that students parents are jointly and severally liable to the board in respect of the act of that student.

The section has received scant attention from the courts over the years despite being enacted more than half a century ago.

The Deans argued their son was not negligent and that the act imposed liability only if the student intentionally caused the damage in, say, an act of vandalism.

No court has yet wrestled with the interpretation issue that arises in this case, Justice Fitzpatrick noted.

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Ian Mulgrew: Parents pay the price for sons school prank

MAGOFFIN COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The Magoffin County Justice Center had to be closed Thursday morning because of flooding.

"The sprinkler system on the circuit side of the building burst, it flooded the circuit court room with this, it's a black water that comes from the sprinkler system and the water just kept coming and coming and coming" says Magoffin County Circuit Clerk, Tonya Arnett-Ward.

Court was in session Thursday morning when a sprinkler in the Justice Building started spraying water, leading officials to evacuate the building.

As time went on pipes began to burst causing the water damage to worsen.

"Its just devastating that we've lost so much equipment, the district court room is flooded, the circuit court room, the carpets, all that's destroyed" says Arnett-Ward.

Once officials were able to stop water from coming in they began repairing the building.

"Repair the water leak, cap it off so we can get water back in the building turn the heat on and get the electric back on" says Magoffin County Emergency Management Director, Mike Wilson.

Workers in the building say this isn't the first time the Justice Center has had water issues.

"Last year the sprinkler system on this side of building on the family court side of the building burst and we had a leak but nothing compared to this one" says Arnett-Ward

Emergency Management Director, Mike Wilson says he believes repairs will be made quickly.

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Magoffin County Justice Center closed due to flooding

A nursing home in Clarence, Mo. was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a frozen sprinkler system led to what staff thought was a fire.

According to an employee, 29 residents were evacuated safely from the Clarence Care Center around 3 p.m.

A sprinkler system froze and broke, causing water to flood the buildings community room, shorting out several lights.

The short created smoke which set off the buildings fire alarm.

There were no injuries or complications from smoke for any resident.

The 29 residents were taken to the nearby Clarence Medical Clinic.

Seven later went home with family, while 22 residents were taken to the Salt River Nursing Home in Shelbina, Mo. where Clarence Care Center staff members will be on hand to assist them.

An employee told KHQA the residents taken to Shelbina were in good health after the move.

Workers were fixing the buildings sprinkler system as of 7:20 p.m. Thursday, as staff told KHQA they expect to have all residents moved back into the building by Friday night.

The Clarence Care Center suffered water damage as a result of the incident.

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Nursing home evacuated after sprinklers break

How To Winterize Your Fire Sprinkler System from Ryan Fireprotection
It is important to winterize your fire sprinkler systems to protect them from freezing and causing heavy water damage. As the winter months approach, there a...

By: Ryan Fire Protection Inc.

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How To Winterize Your Fire Sprinkler System from Ryan Fireprotection - Video

VAIL A New Years Eve kitchen fire in a condominium at Lion Square Lodge, 660 W. Lionshead Place, was quickly contained by the activation of the automatic fire sprinkler system in the unit. According to Vail Fire Marshal Mike Vaughan, the fire in the recently renovated east building was controlled by a single sprinkler in the kitchen near the stove.

Firefighters responded to the property at around 5:30 p.m. on report of a waterflow alarm. Investigators determined that the cause of the fire was related to a pan being left unattended on the stove.

Building maintenance crews had turned off the sprinkler valve by the time fire crews arrived. Damage is estimated to be less than $5,000 and was contained to the microwave above the stove as well as the underside of adjacent cabinetry.

Water damage was minimal as each unit is equipped with its own sprinkler shut off. Building maintenance was able to use a shop vac for clean up.

The occupants of the residence did not need to be relocated and there were no injuries, according to Vaughan. The sprinkler system was restored to a working condition that evening.

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Vail kitchen fire contained quickly

Photo By By Guillermo Contreras

Firefighters use a fire truck ladder to reach the top floors of the Wedgwood Apartments at 6701 Blanco Road.

Photo By Tyler White/By Tyler White, San Antonio Express-News

Wedgwood Senior Living Apartments, an 11-story structure at 6701 Blanco Road.

Photo By Tyler White/By Tyler White, San Antonio Express-News

Wedgwood Senior Living Apartments, an 11-story structure at 6701 Blanco Road.

Photo By John Gonzalez, San Antonio Express-News

Units from the San Antonio Fire Department are staged and ready to respond to a fire at the Wedgwood Apartments in the 6700 block of Blanco Road.

Photo By John Gonzalez, San Antonio Express-News

Units from the San Antonio Fire Department are staged and ready to respond to a fire at the Wedgwood Apartments in the 6700 block of Blanco Road.

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Residents file negligence suit following deadly high-rise fire

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.)

609 Taylor Crescent - Miller Real Estate Nanaimo
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609 Taylor Crescent - Miller Real Estate Nanaimo - Video

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