INNISFAIL - Although carbon monoxide monitors are not currently installed in Chinook’s Edge schools, the division’s board of trustees will take direction from Alberta Infrastructure on whether they should be as the provincial government department has the expertise to set regulations for school facilities.
Last month, Kurt Sacher, the school board board superintendent, said Chinook's Edge had received no direction from Alberta Infrastructure on whether the devices should be installed. He added a discussion would take place among board trustees to see if there was a "willingness" to explore the issue further.
The board met on Feb. 6 and reviewed efforts taking place through the school board's Facilities Department regarding the extensive preventative safety measures in place for all schools.
The Edmonton Public school board announced last week that it plans to install the monitors in all its schools, at a cost of between $50,000 and $100,000.
Carbon monoxide is a toxic colourless, ordourless and tasteless gas.
Installation of the monitors in schools is not mandated by Alberta Education.
Sacher said installing monitors would involve a major construction undertaking.
“It’s not like in a household where you just put one up against the wall and put a battery in it,” he said. “It would be more significant than that in schools.
“We’d have to look at rewiring, but we are always open to taking another look at if we are as safe as we can possibly be in a cost-effective environment.”
Sacher explained that every school in the division is required to have a fire and smoke detection system in place, which they all do.
“There are a whole set of regulations and expectations from Alberta Infrastructure and we have consistently met all of them,” he said. “We have a safety manager who is well renowned across the province. We are always looking for ways to improve.
“We have to go through internal and external assessments to meet certain high levels of safety.”
A recent carbon monoxide incident in Montreal sent a number of students to hospital.
There are 40 schools in the Innisfail-headquartered Chinook’s Edge School Division.
