The focus of this year’s Fire Prevention Week , Oct. 9-15, is “Protect your Family from Fire!” The National Fire Prevention Association’s campaign is all about keeping you, your family, your school and your community safe from fire.
While the focus of this campaign is to teach children about home fire safety, it also is a great opportunity for school administrators to review the following fire safety conditions at their schools.
• Are you up to date on your fire drills? It is recommended that you have two drills within the first six weeks of school, then monthly throughout the school year.
• Have you reviewed how the drills went with staff and addressed any problem areas?
• Are all the valves on your sprinkler systems open and locked?
• Are there any trouble lights lit on your fire alarm panel? These should be visually inspected daily and any problems should be corrected immediately.
• Are inspections of your fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, and fire extinguishers up-to-date? Have you corrected any problems with these devices?
• Are any building exits locked, blocked or otherwise obstructed?
–Doors must be able to be opened from the inside without keys or “special knowledge,” such as combinations.
–Doors and aisles must be kept clear of stored material or furniture.
–Don’t forget to check for obstructions outside the door, such as plants and shrubbery, stored material, parked vehicles, fences, locked gates, etc.
• Also check for trip hazards in exit passageways, such as extension cords or carpet runners that overlap or do not lie flat.
Attention to these details will make your school a safer place and help reinforce the important messages of Fire Prevention Week to your students.
For more information, go tohttp://www.firepreventionweek.org/.
– By Howard Rosewell, KSBIT Property Specialist