Show Fire Inspection Co c. III In Utah Schools Schools in Utah are now I their own fire inspectors a 31 This his incredible situation is 5 y of the result of legislation passed pass- pass ad d ed led by our recent legislature which makes fire codes for Utah schools the business of schools with recommendations lj lions of the State Fire Marna Marshall Marshall Mar- Mar na shall but with no authority it for enforcement by Fire departments dein dein de- de in Apartments K THIS situation lel Iel has come about as a renat re- re nat suIt silt of a dispute between y York fire inspectors and three schools under construction lee k in Ogden Serious violations of fire codes were discovered discover- discover led ed in the three new schools I i Iff which should have been I caught in the blueprint stage d 11 t but were not found until the schools were nearly orli orId led ed G A compromise was reached w in the Ogden problems but tn the ire of State School Board people was roused and they t l were successful in getting es Legislation passed which places responsibility for fire inspection and enforcement of fire codes with school 1 people r ANY TIME a public agency becomes its own police 4 force a dangerous situation o has been created and we believe Utah school children r fare are being placed in jeopardy s T P needlessly tact There are schools in Utah where children attend classes th in fin third floor classrooms where c t there is no outside exit There Ot fare are schools in the state with I open stairways where materials mate- mate 1 rials are stored underneath d the stairs It was just such sucha a situation in Chicago a few t 1 years ago which resulted in inthe inthe lis the death of 90 school chilI chil- chil I dren NO ONE ever intends to r have a serious accident and certainly Utah's school officials officials officials of- of do not plan a serious fire If a fire should occur however all such questions as to who is capable of making safety determinacy determinations cy lions automatically become moot One instance has already been reported where a f firel fire fire- eman e l' l i Iman man went to a school to hold a fire drill and the 1 principal absolutely refused Si no to allow him to conduct the drill We dont don't have to do doI I that any more he told the fireman There was no fire drill at that school I. I I I.- I. IT IS the contention of school people that requirements requirements require- require ments of the State Fire Marshal Mar Mar- Marshal to bring school buildings buildings buildings build build- ings up to satisfactory codes are prohibitively costly but the Fire Marshal says the figures presented by the School Board are grossly exaggerated Who is at error and where the fault lies is secondary G at this point The concern of parents must be the safety of school children and when schools are their own fire inspectors we are asking for tragedy SUPPOSE the Weber County County County Coun Coun- ty school district had had f inspection authority when the three new schools were found to be defective Do you OU suppose suppose sup- sup pose they would have halted halted halted halt halt- ed construction and install- install ed sprinkler systems and additional additional additional ad ad- exits to second floors Unlikely at best because there is always a better place to spend a dollar than for fire protection equipment At West High School the ancient Union Building has been used for classes for many years after fire in inspectors inspectors inspectors in- in would have condemned condemned condemned con con- the building had they had the authority Fortunately Fortunately Fortunately Fortu- Fortu no tragedy has occurred occurred oc- oc and that building will finally be torn down this summer so it cannot be used again as an overflow school building NOT ALL areas of the state are as fortunate as West High where new classrooms classrooms classrooms class class- rooms have been constructed construct construct- ed to replace an unsafe building Wasatch County for example has three storey schools with no outside exit to the third floor classrooms Other less affluent school districts districts districts dis dis- dis- dis are using out-dated out school buildings which will no longer be required to tobe tobe tobe be kept safe fire-safe by an agency agency agency agen agen- cy outside the school juris juris- diction It may well be that the State Fire Marshals Marshal's recommendations recommendations recommendations as interpreted and enforced by local fire departments would be more costly to schools than safety regulations schools impose themselves but this is penny- penny wise pound as itis itis it itis is most dangerous THE BARN door is open and the horse is out but while there is still a chance of catching him we had better be at it Legislation has been passed allowing chance of catching him we had better be at it Legislation Legislation Legislation Legis Legis- lation has been passed al allowing allowing allowing al- al lowing schools to police their own fire precautions but asyet as asyet asyet yet no major fire has re re- We urge parents to voice their concern to their legislator so this potentially dangerous situation will be corrected by the next legis legis- lature |