A hospital roof carries snow, ice and equipment over patients who cannot move. Snow loads the deck. Ice blocks drains. Air handlers, exhaust and generators sit in the drift. Snow totals 90 to 97 inches a year in Flagstaff, AZ, and every winter tests the whole chain.
Reach us before the first big storm hits. List the campus buildings, their roof types and the last walk. Facilities and infection control sign off on when we do the sag and drain checks.
On a hospital campus, a roof repair is planned like any other event near patients. Air intakes, noise, dust, fumes and access all matter. The roofing scope goes through facilities, infection control and safety before the first crew day.
Snow is the main winter threat. February 21, 2019 holds the one-day snow record, at 35.9 inches. After the late February 2023 storm the city named sagging ceilings and bowing trusses as overload signs. A campus has many roofs of many ages, so every winter someone should walk each one and report what they see.
Weight and water arrive together. Snow melts into a drain that may be frozen, and the result lands in a ceiling plenum. Plan for both. A frozen drain with overflow scuppers is a nuisance. A frozen drain without them is an incident. Check the overflow path as carefully as the main one.
Flagstaff Medical Center, which opened in 1936, is a Level I trauma center, and its payroll was about 2,180 in 2017. A hospital with several wings carries a roof per wing. Each wing has its own details and its own space below. Expansion joints cross between them. Parking structures and outpatient buildings add more.
A hospital borrows the tenant mix of a medical office building and the many roof ages of a college or university campus. Then it adds round-the-clock operations.
Whether a hospital building stands near Downtown Flagstaff or East Flagstaff, the roof plan starts with where the ambulances go. Access for crews, lifts and deliveries has to fit around ambulance routes and visitor parking. We agree on staging before the first day and keep emergency routes clear at all times.
Start at the expansion joints. Cracked covers let water into the gap between wings. Then check air handlers and intakes. Snow drifts against them, and ice forms on coils and louvers. Check generators and their exhaust paths. Look at curbs, flashings and roof hatches.
Test every drain. Clear grit and debris. Find drift lines on the plan. Mark each roof section with what sits below: operating rooms, labs, pharmacy, storage. Rank sections by consequence as well as condition. A sound-looking roof over an operating suite ranks above a worn one over a storeroom.
Look closely at roof drains and scuppers on every wing. A wing built to an older standard may have fewer drains and smaller pipes. A drain that was fine for the old load may fall behind with added equipment and drifting snow. Overflow scuppers give a second path, and they need to be set at the right height to work.
Precipitation runs 20 to 22 inches a year, and monsoon storms in July and August add about a third. Freezing temperatures return in late September. The record low is minus 30 degrees F. The roof sees ice, melt, rain and sun, in that order, year after year.
Ice ridges at eaves and scuppers are the common winter fault. Melt backs under edge metal and finds a way in. Summer storms test flashings the same way. We fix the detail at the source, record the repair and recheck after the next cycle.
Check the roof after every melt event, not only on schedule. A warm day after a big storm can send a lot of water to the drains in a short time. Walk the roof, test the outlets and clear any ice. A quick check can stop a slow leak from reaching a patient floor.
Work is phased by roof section. Facilities and infection control approve each phase. Air intakes are located and protected. Dust and fumes are controlled. Debris is lowered, not dropped. Crews are badged, oriented and escorted. Each section is closed in at the end of every shift.
Snow removal is phased too. Name who goes up and which roofs come first. Roofs over critical spaces go first. Use plastic tools, clear drains first and keep loads even. Anyone on a snowy roof needs fall protection. Report any sag, crack or leak to facilities right away.
Communication keeps the work smooth. A one-page plan goes to facilities, security and the charge nurses on affected floors. It names the sections, the hours, the contacts and the stop points. The crew checks in daily. Any change in scope is reported at once. The closeout package lists what was done, with photos, readings and test results.
Repair joints, curbs and flashings first. Wet insulation across wide areas means a phased commercial roof replacement. An infrared moisture survey and a few cores show the extent. Cold-applied, self-adhered and welded systems reduce fire and odor risk near patients.
Hot work needs permits, a fire watch and approval from fire safety. Many hospitals avoid it near occupied space. We discuss options with facilities before the scope is written, and the chosen method goes into the plan.
Roof age drives the sequence. A campus rarely replaces everything at once. Replace the oldest and wettest sections first, repair the middle group and monitor the newest. Spread the spending across budget years, and keep the plan visible. A dated roof inventory lets the facility director explain each step to the board.
Build one inventory for the campus with each roof's type, age, last walk, open items and the rooms below. Rank by consequence, then by condition and snow exposure. Walk in fall and after the thaw. Keep photos from fixed points. Before the first storm, send the campus address and your last walk date, and we will set the checks up with your facilities team.
Log each deferred item with a recheck date and a trigger, either a big storm or a warm spell. That gives facilities a clear reason to call.
By section, with approval from facilities and infection control. Intakes are protected, dust and fumes are controlled and each section is closed in daily. Emergency repairs can interrupt the plan, so the plan includes a response step.
Often. Cold-applied, self-adhered and welded systems cut fire and odor risk. If hot work is needed, it requires permits, a fire watch and approval from fire safety.
Drooping ceilings, bowing trusses, sticking doors and fresh cracks. City officials listed these after the February 2023 storm. Report them at once, keep the area clear and call an engineer.
By consequence first, then condition and snow exposure. A roof over an operating suite ranks above one over storage, even if the membrane is the same.
Photos, moisture readings, test results and a closeout summary. They go into the building file and support insurance, lenders and inspectors.
Browse the services, roof systems and building types we work with across Flagstaff and nearby Arizona communities.
A walk of the roof with photos, findings and a written scope.
Active leaks, storm damage and blocked drains get a fast response.
Roofing across Flagstaff and nearby Arizona communities.