Four Window Cleaning Stories For Friday

Big rise in illegal tapping into water supplies: A four-fold rise in businesses illegally tapping into the region’s water supply has been recorded in West Yorkshire this year. Fire chiefs warn lives are being put at risk by cowboy firms which are damaging fire hydrants to access water by using ill-fitting and unlicensed standpipe equipment. It is thought many businesses which rely on access to water to carry out work, such as window cleaners, road sweepers and landscape gardeners, are dodging equipment licence fees in order to cut costs during the recession. Between January and July this year, Yorkshire Water had 87 confirmed incidents of illegal standpipe use in West Yorkshire, compared to 20 during the same period last year. In Bradford, 35 incidents have been recorded this year, up from only seven at the same time in 2008. Kirsty Wood, the firm’s standpipe licensing manager, said: “Perhaps as a result of businesses trying to save money in these difficult economic times or simply because they aren’t aware of the regulations, we’ve seen a worrying increase in the number of people caught tapping into our water hydrants without the proper equipment or permission.
“Their actions can have a knock-on effect, potentially causing incidents of water discolouration or even temporary loss of supply.” She said the firm had a 100 per cent successful prosecution rate, with offenders receiving a maximum £1,000 per offence plus legal costs. Businesses are required to use a standpipe on a fire hydrant which is no more than an inch in diameter, anything bigger can damage the attachment on the hydrant, much like a screw with a worn thread. Yorkshire Water is now working with Bradford businesses to ensure regulations are met. Mike Cartwright, spokesman for Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said: “Taking water without consent from hydrants and standpipes can have severe consequences on both individuals and communities.”
Ian Bitcon, senior operations officer for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said fire hydrants provide back up to appliances during major incidents. “Our front-line appliances carry adequate water to deal with the early stages of fire and to extinguish most fires but we rely on hydrants to support our work,” he said. “Anyone interfering with or vandalising a hydrant is putting lives directly at risk.” Members of the public should report any instances where they suspect illegal use of the water supply to contact Yorkshire Water on (01274) 804457. Businesses wishing to know more about the regulations can also call this number. A licence costs £554.96 a year or £1.46 a day.

Home Owners penalized for not looking after their homes: Patricia Hanson has been with the insurance company for over a decade but in May it canceled her policy because of chipped paint and weeds. If someone were to drive by and take a picture of Hanson’s home they may think it was in bad shape. Hanson agrees, but says what you’re seeing is renovation in progress. Many other Utah homeowners are doing the same thing and she doesn’t understand why her insurance company has ditched her. Hanson has been planning the upgrades to her home for some time now but before she had the chance to get them done her insurance company pulled the plug, cancelling her homeowner’s policy, she claims, without any notice. “I didn't have a call from anybody, no contact, I don't even know who drove by, just came out of the blue,” says Hanson.
Hanson says she got this letter in may after making a payment to renew her policy. She was stunned that it was explaining the reasons for cancellation. The one paragraph letter says, "Peeling paint on all portions of the dwelling. Overgrown vegetation…peeling paint on garage siding, window sills missing paint." Hanson explained work is being done to fix it. “If you look around you will see that most of the paint is on the ground here because we've been power washing,” says Hanson. “I'm getting rid of this, all the grass, going to a zero-scape so this is all covered to kill any of the grass that was left.”Hanson’s insurance agent is out of town but did say on the phone they do give advanced warning when cancelling a policy. He said he will re-instate Hanson when the fixes are made and find her other coverage in the meantime. Brad Tibbitts with the Utah Insurance Department says he’s heard of cases like this but they’re uncommon. “The insurance companies have the right to find out whether or not the house is in good enough shape to be eligible for the premium rates,” says Tibbitts. He says they have to give a client 30 days notice before cancellation. Homeowners are not required to notify their insurance companies before remodeling or upgrade work but it's not a bad idea.

Window Cleaner turns to Painting: Kevin Krone, 50, isn't afraid of heights. He can't be, at least not this week, when the area painter has spent the past three days repainting the red and white logo atop the 38-story HSBC Center. "The first day, it takes 15 minutes to get used to it," he said Thursday as he peered over the edge of the scaffolding that resembles half a shark cage. "But it's just another day. It pays the bills, and it's a good view." Depending on the weather, he'll be up there again today. At more than 520 feet above the Buffalo streetscape, Krone gets a top-down view of City Hall, Statler Towers and the spire of St. Joseph's Cathedral. The skyline of Niagara Falls, Ont., remains faintly visible -- and, on a clear day, security guards claim you can see Toronto, an impossibility in the mid-summer haze of Thursday afternoon. Kevin Dedominces said he has seen it all before. For the past 20 years, he has been a high-rise window washer for various local companies, just as his dad was before him.

Currently employed by Buffalo Exterior Maintenance, Dedominces washes M&T Plaza, HSBC Arena and the Goldome on a somewhat regular basis. He acted as Krone's chauffeur Thursday, operating the rig that controls the height and placement of the scaffolding for an eight-hour work day. He doesn't get bored, he said. On Thursday afternoon, he had read the paper twice and spent a few hours watching the Bisons game -- Dedominces couldn't see the scoreboard, but from his observations, it must have been 2-0 Buffalo (the Bisons would go on to win 4-1). "It's peaceful up here," he said, adding that he's never thought of the risks of working 500 feet up. "What are the chances of four cables breaking?" Click on pictures to enlarge.

Montreal - Cracked windows at Eaton Centre force lane closings and emergency patch job: Anxious pedestrians craned their necks in the city centre yesterday as police, the Montreal fire department and ultimately a commercial glass company decided what to do about some cracked windows on the facade of the Eaton Centre tower. Fire officials were called around 10:30 a.m. when cracks were discovered in a window on the eighth floor and another window several storeys up. The east side sidewalk of McGill College Ave. was cordoned off and traffic was blocked from using the eastern lanes between Ste. Catherine St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. Because of the fatal accident that occurred two weeks ago on Peel St., where a slab of concrete sheared off a building and killed a woman sitting in a restaurant, police and the fire department did not want to take any chances that the cracked windows would fall out on the windy avenue and injure someone on the sidewalk or street below. Employees of a commercial glass company rode a window washer basket down the side of the building and put thick plastic adhesive patches on all the cracks. The faulty windows will be removed at a later date and replaced. People whose cars were parked in the underground parking lot of the Eaton Centre were not allowed to enter or exit the garage until shortly after 3 p.m.