Page 30 - The EDGE Spring 2024 WEB
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PROPERTY PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
BY STEPHANIE ARBAUGH
HERE’S HOW TO AVOID OR MINIMIZE MOST PROPERTY DAMAGE
Stephanie Arbaugh
In recent years the Arizona School Risk Retention damage: stained ceiling tiles, damaged drywall
Trust, Inc., (the Trust) has seen an increase in property and/or paint, wet floors, or a mildew smell.
claims in a variety of areas. Measured in terms of Contact the Trust if you think you have an indoor
frequency, severity, or both, some of the top loss air quality issue and/or you smell mildew, as it is
causes include: critical to locate and address the source.
• Water damage due to plumbing failures. • Inspect plumbing fixtures and fittings, chillers,
• Water damage via roof and non-roof building HVAC units, etc., especially during colder months.
structures. Pay special attention to any areas where water
• Hail and wind damage to facilities and equipment. appears to have collected beneath plumbing, and
• Damage due to fire and lightning. immediately attend to any leaks. Insulate any pipes
• Damage due to freezing weather conditions. and fixtures exposed to the elements, including
treating water in fire sprinklers to prevent freezing.
When these kinds of losses occur, the Trust does Verify that your roof drains are working and that
everything possible to ease your mind, assist with there is no ice build-up.
repairs that need immediate attention, and get the full
claim resolved in a timely manner. • If you have vacant properties, inspect them
weekly, looking for areas vulnerable to fire,
When needed, we’ll also assist the school district theft/vandalism, water intrusion, storm damage,
in solving unique challenges related to a large- playground hazards, and so on. Consider restricting
scale property loss such as logistics to minimize access to any outdoor equipment and posting “No
business interruption; addressing unwanted attention Trespassing” signs. Keep the heat on in vacant
and scrutiny from media, parents, and the broader properties, and make sure that areas with little to
community; and more. no heat (e.g., bathrooms) have their doors open
to adjacent rooms so that heat may enter. Know
Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to avoid losses in the location of shutoff valves and actuate them
the first place — or to reduce their severity if they do regularly to ensure they are in good working
occur. For example: condition.
• Walk your roofs frequently, looking for sags, • When storms occur — even if on a weekend or
cracks, penetrations, pooled water, missing holiday — ensure that staff inspects facilities
shingles, clogged drains, damage to roof-mounted as soon as possible. Storm waters can often sit
equipment, and the various other warning signs of unaddressed over the weekend, increasing the
current or potential roof problems. damage and cost to repair. Also, have a process
in place to remove snow when necessary to avoid
• Walk your buildings, too, and look for water exceeding roof load capacities.
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30 THE EDGE SPRING 2024
