Fire Sprinkler System Saves A School

Fire Dept response

Firefighters received a call early one July morning that a local middle school was on fire. This probably wasn't a big surprise--school fires are common occurrences, both during and after school. This particular school was on holiday, leaving it open to arson. 

Rushing to the scene, however, the fire department found that the fire was contained in a single classroom--and the building's fire sprinkler systems had kept it in check. It took just minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze completely.

The cause of this fire was not conclusively determined to be arson-related. However, that's a likely scenario. In 1996, firefighters responded to over 2,000 school fires--70% of which were caused by arson. Schools are obvious targets for delinquent youth. Insurance companies claim that 40% of the time, the culprits are boys aged 10-17 years old. While many arson fires are started outside of normal school hours, an alarming trend indicates that more arsonists are starting fires while school is in session. Common places for fires include bathrooms, closets, and locker rooms--anywhere a child can be undisturbed for a few minutes.

School fires are tragic, not only for the children involved, but also for the staff and the community. Children lose their sense of safety and security at school. Staff lose a school they may have invested decades in developing--a loss that can be devastating to any teacher or administrator. The community and school district can be hit hard by the financial burden of rebuilding a school. In addition, loss of supplies, test results, important records, computers and furniture can affect children's school careers long after the fire. It can take a community and school district years or even decades to recover from a fire started by a single malicious act.

Many school districts can't afford to have guards posted outside while the school's closed--and arsonists can find ways to get inside a locked and unattended school. In addition, no matter how attentive the staff, it's nearly impossible to watch every child, every minute.

That's why fire sprinkler systems are the ideal solution. They're nearly impossible to set off accidentally or maliciously without starting a real fire--so the risk of water damage from practical jokes or accidental firings are minimal. In addition, fire sprinkler systems control a fire the minute it starts, giving it no time to spread to other areas of the school. Their record of fire safety tells the story: a school with fire sprinkler systems installed has never been lost due to fire, from arson or any other causes.

Sprinkler discharge

More and more states are requiring all schools to be built with fire sprinkler systems and it should go farther than that, it should be mandated that all existing school buildings should be retro-fitted with fire sprinkler systems. Our Washington law makers should enact a federal law that would be funded by the federal government to install fire sprinkler systems in all existing school buildings. 


To cut costs it should also be mandated that the prevailing wages for the construction sector should be extricated and allow any contractor to bid on the project without the detriment of requiring to pay the prevailing wages to the workers. 

Fire Dept Connection

I'm not against the prevailing wage and unions, but in this day and time because of the economic down turn, saving costs and lives is more important than a persons hourly wage. We should all help out to get the schools protected from the loss of life and property.