The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-03
WANTS FIRE DRILLS
SUPERINTENDENT MAGUIRE AFT
Err FIRE ESCAPES ALSO.
RECORD OF THE YEAR 1901.
CoLLINSvILLE AND UNION DEPOT
MUST BE PROTECTED.


an Ordinance Requiring Fire
Drills in SchooIs-COnsiders Es-
capes Absolutely Necessary. Too.
Many RecOmm ndations and OBJ
servatiOns Made by Fire Chief.
Pension Fund for Firemen ana
Buying of Life Saving Apparatus
SugEested-New buildings and APP
paratus is Needed-COIIinsviIIe and
Union Depot Must BE Protected.
With interesting recommendations
and accompanied by the reports of
Fire Marshal Mouro and Electrician
Claiborne, Superintendent of the Fire
Department Mcguire filed his annual
report to the Mayor yesterday. The
number of alarms sounded during the
year and the loss have already been
given the Morning News.
Superintendent Mcguire expresses
almost perfect satisfaction at the
work done by the department, but is
not sure but that there should be
quite a number of improvements in
the apparatus. The question of fire
drills in the schools is treated at
and the subject of fire escapes on
buildings is handled tartly.
The report covers forty seven type
written pages and was neatly gotten
up by Mr.. C. A. Nell, fire department
clerk. The cover of the report hand
ed the Mayor is embellished with pen
drawings of pieces of fire apparatus
dent Mcguire. The most interesting
parts of the lengthy report are given
below:
Fire Drills in Schools.
1.-THE matter Of fire drills in schools
is of such grave Importance that 1t
becomes my duty to call attention to
the want of the same, now for the
third time, and / sincerely hope that
Council will view this matter in the
same light that I do.
''rhe statement made by the school
authorities, when they refused my re-
quest to institute fire drills was TO the
effect that the children were under the
complete control of the teachers. and
that the schools could be cleared within
three minutes at any time. / do not
doubt the last statement at all, and it
is just because of the fact, that for
a time to clear the school buildings
that / again appeal for legislation to
require the Board of Education to in
augurate regular fire drills. 1t is my
opinion, shared by many others, that
the teachers themselves are as much
in need of drilling as the pupils under
their control.
II will admit that when the
bell is tapped for recess, at
a regular hour known and ex-
pected by the children that they
rise with promptness, go through the
evolutions with precision, and march
out of the building like drilled soldiers,
but / do not know, neither does the
Board OF Education know, what the
same children would do If piastering
and fire fell from the ceiling overhead
or if smoke was visible and some one
cried fire" Fires in schools are sell
dom discovered by the inmates and are
invariably noticed first fir 1m the out
side. The teachers as well as the chill
dren are in need of drilling and when
regular drills are held at unlocked for
hours neither the teacher or the pupil
knows whether a fire has been discov-
erde or drill is about to take place
The teachers and the children become
accustomed to these drills and when a
fire does occur they go through the
drill without excitement or confusion
and thu children are safely out of the
building before the cause is ever ascer-
tanned.
Referring to the time taken by the
teachers to clear the schools in Savan-
nah, beg to say that l am in receipt
of answers to inquiries made by me
from several other cities which show
that school buildings, where drills are
practiced, can be empt,ed in from one
to one and a half minutes.
I'm Macon Superintendent of Schools
D. Q. Abbott informs me that two
story eight-room schools are emptied
in one minute and ten seconds, and
in Kansas City and Baltimore the
same size buildings are cleared in even
less time. A fire. under favorable con-
dltions, may become very serious in
less than three minutes, and it is for
this reason that electric alarms are
put in and drivers of apparatus use
whip and voice to urge willing and
fieet-footed animals along the streets
in an effort to save the valuable time
that the Board of Education value so
lightly
II earnestly ask that an ordinance
be enacted requiring ire drills in all
schools, orphan asylums or like insti-
tutions more than one story high.
Fire Escapes.
"On Jan. 81, 1894, an ordinance pro-
viding for fire escapes on certain build
ings was enacted. / endeaVored to
have this ordinance enforced, but il
proved to be very unpopular and was
enforced in singularly few cases. In
1897 / made the necessary inspections
and submitted the yearly report in ac-
cordance with the requirements of the
ordinance, giving the names of all
owners who had not complied with the
law. / appealed to the Mayor to have
the required notices issued but so far
as could learn. nothing was ever done
I'm my annual report for 1897 l called
attention to this matter and placed my
self on record, that it was impossible
to enforce the law, hoping thus to
draw attention to the matter. My re-
marks did attract attention, for much
TO my surprise, the ordinance was
amended I'm less than a month after
my report had been submitted. so as
TO take this matter entirely out of my
hands and place 1t beyond any jurs-
diction or direction that / might be
thought to have. The ordinance as
amended. has never been enforced and
as far as results show it might just as
well have been repealed.
II respectfully ask that this important
matter receive the consideration of this
Council with view of having this pro-
lection afforded our children Fire es-
capes should, as a matter of course
come directly under the supervision of
this department. No one can better
judge OF their necessity, location or
character.
building Laws.