The Saint Paul globe., 1905-03-17
FIRE DRILL PROVED
OF GREAT VALUE
Lives of Children Have Been
Saved Many Times by Or.
derry Marching

The first measure advocated by c.
w. Gordon, the new member of the
school board, that of fire drill Tor
public school children was a very SEN
sible one and 1T is strange indeed that
there should have been any one to dis
agree with him. Mr.. Gordon urged
that the children be taught a regular
drill, and TO respond to an alarm OF
fire turned in to test their discipline.
but some of the members objected
on the ground that ii would frighten
the children severely and that in cold
weather their rushing out without
wraps might be dangerous. There Is
not the slightest reason why the drill
should be kept up during the mid
die of winter, but there is every rea-
son why ii should be part of the ex-
ercises during the spring and autumn.
II is precisely because st. Paul has
been fortunate enough to escape any
terrible fire at which children have
perished, that the school board seems
so Indifferent about the matter, but
wherever in the east the matter has
been tested at the time of some caiam-
ity. il has been shown that fire drills
in schools are of incontestable value.
In New York and vicinity there
have been during the past decade
many fires in school houses and institu-
tlons in which there was no loss of
life solely to the fact that the children
were marched out quietly and quickly
in the way they had been drilled. The
newspapers and the members of the
nre department in numerous cases
have testified to the great value of a
fire drill where children are concerned.
In time of peace the wise prepare
for war; so when there is apparently
no danger of fire, is the time to pre-
pare for it. Self-controI is easy enough
when there is nothing the matter. but
a 0rafc feff
without previous training is an impos-
sibifity among children. and almost
equally SO among those much older. But
IL child is disciplined, if it has been
trained to do certain things at the
sound of the teachers voice, habit be-
comes so strong that when the great
need comes the discipline will save
many lives. There was a fire in an
orphan asylum year or so ago in
New York and not one life was lost,
owing entirely, said the firemen, to the
discipline which prevailed and to the
orderly and rapid marching of the
children.
The danger from fire is the terrible
panic it throws even the wisest into:
there is no time for thought or sys-
tenn, unless that system Is almost sec
ond nature. unless the force of habit
is so strong that il overcomes the de-
sire to run.
"a year ago., dIlSE lIle az
fair of the Iroquois theatre in Chicago,
Mr.. Gordon's words about the fire drill
would have been needed, as everyone
was impressed with the necessity of
such readiness for fire as is possible
But when time passes with no fires In
the vicinity. interest dies, and precau-
tionS are slackened. 1t is no time TO
prepare when the danger is upon you.
and 1t makes ones heart stand still
to think of the horrors which might
ensue should a fire break out in a
public school during school hours,
with a wild mob OF children struggling
madly from every door way, and in
eyitable death staring them in the
face.
The time of greatest danger here is
during the three coolest winter months
when every heating plant is running
at maximum pressure, and there is no
thought but to keep warm. During
that time the children could omit the
drill or march only to the outer hall,
but the value Of redrill, let us say,
once week, in the spring and autumn
would be untold. 1t takes the actual
calamity itself to awaken people to a
value of preparation for il, and il is to
be hoped that no catastrophe will oc-
cur here which will prove that without
strict discipline and drilling, loss of
life is apt to result. 1t cannot be de-
MED that a fire drill i'm schools has
already saved many little children
from a terrible death.