OCR Text |
Show "Springville Grade Schools Condemned k Fire Traps By City Building Officials On June 20, this paper called upon the city of Springville to make an inspection of our school buildings build-ings to determine whether or not they were safe for the boys and girls of this city in regard to fires. The inspection of the Springville grade school buildings has been made by L. E. Wiscombe, building-inspector, building-inspector, and R. L. Rigtrup, fire chief. The report to the city council was made in writing Monday evening, eve-ning, July 15, and is herewith printed in detail : July 15, 1946 REPORT To the Honorable Mayor and City Councilmen, Springville, Utah. Gentlemen : We herewith submit our report of fire hazardous hazard-ous conditions that exist in many public buildings in Springville. On July 9, 1946, inspection was made of the following fol-lowing places and our recommendations are herewith submitted. JEFFERSON SCHOOL: Condemned for public use in present condition. Recommendations are: Provide proper number of fire escapes on east and north sides of building. Replace present wood stairways with steel stairways. stair-ways. Provide fire-proof storage room for janitor's equipment, materials, etc., such as rags, papers, oil, paints, kindling wood and all combustible and inflammable inflam-mable materials which are now stored under and near present stairway. Provide proper type and number of fire exits on each floor (to be specified by fire department). . Provide proper telephone service. Provide proper concrete coal storage to replace present wood ceiling room. GRANT SCHOOL: Condemned for public use in present condition. Recommendations are: Provide proper number of fire escapes on east and north side of building. Replace present wood stairways with steel stairways. stair-ways. Provide fire-proof storage room for janitor's equipment, materials, etc., such as rags, papers, oil, paints, kindling wood and all combustible and inflammable inflam-mable materials which are now stored under and near present stairway. Provide proper type and number of fire exits on each floor (to be specified by fire department). Provide proper telephone service. Provide proper concrete coal storage to replace present wood ceiling room. Very serious hazard exists on the second floor due to the small steel sash windows and must be corrected. cor-rected. LINCOLN SCHOOL: Condemned for public use in present condition. Recommendations are: Provide proper number of fire escapes at proper locations. Provide fire-proof storage room for janitor's equipment, materials, etc., such as rags, papers, oil, paints, kindling wood and all combustible and inflam- mable materials. Provide proper type and number of fire exits on each floor (to be specified by fire department). Provide proper telephone service. Provide proper concrete coal storage to replace present wood ceiling room. Construct a steel fire escape from rest rooms on north side of building. Concrete stairway now constructed in this building. build-ing. Respectfully submitted, (Signed) L. E. WISCOMBE, Building Inspector (Signed) R. L. RIGTRUP, Fire Chief These dreadful fire hazards have existed in these schools for many, many years. They have existed all during the administration of Superintendent Owen L. Barnett. P.T.A. associations in Springville have been aware of these conditions and have asked Supt. Barnett many times to have the conditions corrected. Funds have been available which could have been used for making these buildings safe. However, it seems that Supt. Barnett has been far more interested interest-ed in having erected for him in Spanish Fork, a fine modern home at the expense of the taxpayer, than in seeing to it that the children in Springville were safe from the catastrophe of a school fire. In all fairness, we invite Mr. Barnett to use the columns of this newspaper to explain why these conditions con-ditions have been permitted to exist. |