'Dr. Air' on mould patrol

[Guest guest]

'Dr. Air' on mould patrol

Regina Leader-Post - Regina,Saskatchewan,Canada*

le , Saskatchewan News Network

Published: Saturday, February 16, 2008

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=9af808c5-

1608-4033-a9a8-886af83262be

SASKATOON -- Every school in Saskatoon has mould.

And so does every other building in the country, but it's a matter

of controlling the growth of a few spores that is the difference

between the day-to-day maintenance of a school and a sick classroom

of kids, according to Saskatonian Don Figley.

Figley is considered a leading experts in indoor air quality (IAQ)

in public buildings in the province, and is no stranger to

the 'fuzzy' issue in Saskatchewan schools. He has over 30 years

experience as a mechanical engineer specializing on the topic.

I think all in all, I've worked with every school division in the

province, " he said.

" Dr. Figley? We call him Dr. Air around here, " said Joy Bauer,

spokesperson for Saskatoon Public Schools.

The public board had used Figley to help consult its own team for

handling IAQ in the schools, such as an issue last November, when a

teacher at Nutana Collegiate had complained to the principal

of " adverse health symptoms " , which eventually led to the discovery

of mould on the walls of the classroom. Although the mould was

removed before there were any other issues, it shows the serious

nature of controlling IAQ in public buildings.

" Since he helped us, we've become more cost effective, quicker, and

now we can deal more with prevention than reaction, " said Randy

Holfeld, manager of maintenance and operation. Holfeld echoes the

same mantra as the doctor, himself.

" Being preventative can help deal with a small issue before it,

literally, grows, " said Figley, who helped draft the only Canadian

guidelines for IAQ in schools back in 2003.

The Saskatoon Catholic School Board currently uses the school guide

in every one of their buildings, and has used Figley's expertise for

12 years.

" You can't just go around testing schools annually. You can't just

run out and stick a thermometer in the air and know if it's bad, "

said Superintendent Don Lloyd of the Catholic Board. " That checklist

is our life line for dealing with an issue before it gets to the

point of drilling holes in walls and dealing with sick kids. "

Usually, IAQ issues are easily handled by the removal of old

carpeting, uncovering a covered vent, or replacing filters, but in

rare cases -- they call Figley. Lloyd said that as people learn

about the issue of mould, Figley is being called less and less.

[Guest guest]

Goodness, our neighbors to the north take it seriously there, or so it seems.

~Haley

tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote: 'Dr. Air'

on mould patrol

Regina Leader-Post - Regina,Saskatchewan,Canada*

le , Saskatchewan News Network

Published: Saturday, February 16, 2008

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=9af808c5-

1608-4033-a9a8-886af83262be

SASKATOON -- Every school in Saskatoon has mould.

And so does every other building in the country, but it's a matter

of controlling the growth of a few spores that is the difference

between the day-to-day maintenance of a school and a sick classroom

of kids, according to Saskatonian Don Figley.

Figley is considered a leading experts in indoor air quality (IAQ)

in public buildings in the province, and is no stranger to

the 'fuzzy' issue in Saskatchewan schools. He has over 30 years

experience as a mechanical engineer specializing on the topic.

I think all in all, I've worked with every school division in the

province, " he said.

" Dr. Figley? We call him Dr. Air around here, " said Joy Bauer,

spokesperson for Saskatoon Public Schools.

The public board had used Figley to help consult its own team for

handling IAQ in the schools, such as an issue last November, when a

teacher at Nutana Collegiate had complained to the principal

of " adverse health symptoms " , which eventually led to the discovery

of mould on the walls of the classroom. Although the mould was

removed before there were any other issues, it shows the serious

nature of controlling IAQ in public buildings.

" Since he helped us, we've become more cost effective, quicker, and

now we can deal more with prevention than reaction, " said Randy

Holfeld, manager of maintenance and operation. Holfeld echoes the

same mantra as the doctor, himself.

" Being preventative can help deal with a small issue before it,

literally, grows, " said Figley, who helped draft the only Canadian

guidelines for IAQ in schools back in 2003.

The Saskatoon Catholic School Board currently uses the school guide

in every one of their buildings, and has used Figley's expertise for

12 years.

" You can't just go around testing schools annually. You can't just

run out and stick a thermometer in the air and know if it's bad, "

said Superintendent Don Lloyd of the Catholic Board. " That checklist

is our life line for dealing with an issue before it gets to the

point of drilling holes in walls and dealing with sick kids. "

Usually, IAQ issues are easily handled by the removal of old

carpeting, uncovering a covered vent, or replacing filters, but in

rare cases -- they call Figley. Lloyd said that as people learn

about the issue of mould, Figley is being called less and less.

~Haley