Catastrophe Averted

Water sensors stop losses at school

Thousands of dollars in losses from water at Colville, Washington schools

Pete Lewis is Superintendent of Schools in Colville. Brandon Judd is Director of Maintenance. Over several years, they have coped with multiple water claims. Broken water pipes in school ceilings. Broken sprinkler heads in the high school. Every water claim they filed came with a $1000 deductible. As Lewis tells it, “With several claims, that can add up, not to mention the cost of the claims and the cleanup.”

HSB sensor technology helps plug a potentially destructive leak

In Washington State, insurance and risk-management specialist Clear Risk Solutions (CRS) monitors risk for hundreds of school districts in the state. Aaron Sheneman of CRS learned of HSB’s Sensor Systems IoT program and recognized the benefits of partnering with us.

Once we saw the technology, we thought it would work well for some of our clients, especially those with older buildings and equipment and an increased risk of high-dollar claims due to water leaks.

Aaron Sheneman

Clear Risk Solutions

Risk Manager

When Aaron approached Pete and Brandon about HSB’s sensor program and took them to a demonstration of it at a nearby school, Brandon said, "We're in!”

Not long after CRS deployed the program in Colville, a water leak occurred in the pool mechanical room of an unoccupied junior high school. Based on it’s central location, the leak threatened to inundate the kitchen, gym floor, and other common areas of the school.

“I got a text message right away. Within 10 minutes of that alert, I was able to bypass the water softener to stop the leak,” explains Brandon. “There is a floor drain there, but it wouldn’t have kept up with the overflow.”

$100,000 loss prevented

Brandon sums up the result. “There would have been substantial damage—estimated at $100,000—if not for the sensors.

The program helps me sleep at night, knowing I will get a text message when a leak starts. It's like having little spies out there doing the work for you.

Brandon Judd

Colville Public Schools

Director of Maintenance

Additional benefits of the program include the logistical challenges of relocating students due to damage while repairs are done. And notifications when a building loses power, which is important because power outages often require a manual restart of affected systems.

This situation highlights how HSB’s IoT solution monitors property and equipment risks and sends a proactive alert to mitigate damages that traditional building management systems cannot prevent.

“HSB’s turnkey school solution provides peace of mind for school officials and risk management staff, knowing that the school is being monitored 24/7 even when they are not on-site or understaffed,” explains Adam Care, HSB’s Business Segment Leader VP – CAD, IoT.

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