Early detection credited

Firefighters find smoke at the art gallery in Yarmouth, but thankfully, no fire

Yarmouth firefighters spent part of Tuesday evening, Jan. 28, ventilating the Western Branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and credited the building’s alarm system for early detection of a potential problem.

The fire department responded to an alarm at the art gallery building that fronts Yarmouth’s Main Street and Alma Square and could detect a smell of smoke.

“We smelled smoke outside of the building, we did a 360 couldn’t find anything,” said Yarmouth Fire Department Platoon Chief Hank Nickerson.

People from a nearby business could also smell smoke. It seemed to be most noticeable around the back of the building near a vent.

Not immediately knowing how serious the problem was, a call went out for additional manpower and equipment.

“As soon as the caretaker of the building opened the door we went and checked the alarm panel. The alarm panel read that a smoke detector in the ventilation system was activated,” Nickerson explained. “We went down to the ventilation room, opened the door and found a motor that was overheated, maybe malfunctioning.”

He said there was plenty of smoke but there wasn’t any visible fire.

The department then started the process of ventilating the building to get rid of the smoke.

“We now have the (building’s) system turned off so there is no danger of fire,” Nickerson said around 7 p.m. when asked if the damaged motor had been removed.

The smoke was not in a part of the building where art is displayed. The ventilation room, Nickerson said, is in a sealed room in the basement.

There was some smoke damage along the wall where a vent was located.

Nickerson credited the alarm system for early detection of the problem. He said this is a good reminder to businesses and organizations.

“An alarm system is an early warning detection system,” he said, adding in this case, “God knows what would have happened if they didn’t have an alarm.”

“God knows what would have happened if they didn’t have an alarm.”

Hank Nickerson Yarmouth Fire Department Platoon Chief

TINA COMEAU Yarmouth firefighters traced the smell of smoke at the Western Branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Yarmouth to an overheated motor in the ventilation system. There was no fire and a fan helped to clear the building of smoke. The fire department credited the alarm system for early detection of what could have been a potentially bigger problem.

TINA COMEAU PHOTOS Yarmouth firefighters traced the smell of smoke at the Western Branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Yarmouth to an overheated motor in the ventilation system after being alerted by an alarm the evening of Jan. 28.

Yarmouth Fire Department Platoon Chief Hank Nickerson speaks to other firefighters on scene at the Western Branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Yarmouth the evening of Jan. 28.