Police department drying out after sprinkler bursts

By Saja Hindi

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority Lt. Bobby Bartlett, right, and facilities employee Melissa Ashland, left, try to move water out of a hallway Tuesday at the Loveland Police Department after water burst from a sprinkler in the K-9 storage area of the building. (Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Firefighters responded to water bursting from a sprinkler Tuesday afternoon at the Loveland Police Department, 810 E. 10th St.

The water was coming from a sprinkler pipe in the K-9 storage room, a room used to store equipment and supplies for the dogs, which set off the fire alarm. Officers except for 911 dispatchers evacuated the building, while firefighters went in to contain the water and turn off the sprinkler system valve.

"Because the weather's warming up, this is pretty typical," Battalion Chief Jason Starck said, noting that it's most common in commercial retail stores.

Starck said his assumption is that the pipe froze and once the temperature started to rise into the 30s, the ice began to melt, which could have led to the sprinkler head bursting.

Firefighters checked and found no fires in the building, so they started to secure the water and locate the valves, which is more complicated than it sounds in a building as large as the Police and Courts building, Starck said. The valves aren't always in the same place as where the water is spraying.

The flow of water was about 70 gallons per minute, according to Starck. Lt. Jeremy Adent described it almost like a waterfall or downpour.

"Everything was just wet," he said.

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Police department drying out after sprinkler bursts