Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-17
ITO BOARD FOR ACTION CENTER OF EDUCATION
Commissioners Forward Re- Columbia, S. c.. Abounds in
port of Fire Chief Schools and Colleges.
tissue CALL FOR ESTIMATES CENTURY.OLD UNIVERSITY
Congress Money Buildings Now Occupied Erected in
prove Conditions. 1904
FEATURES REPORT STRUCTURES ARE DILAPIDATEDl
o With Any Col
ISSUE CALL FOR ESTIMATES
Will Ask Congress for Money to I'm
prove Conditions.
FEATURES OF THE REPORT
Principals and Teachers Regarded as
Competent to Cope With Any
Emergency.

A letter was forwarded to the board OF
education today by the District Com
missioners inclosing the report of Chief
Belt of the fire department of his in
spection of the local schools. The Com
missioners suggest that the board of edu-
cation prepare estimates for such ap-
preparations as may be necessary to make
/ the improvements recommended by Chief
Belt
! The Commissioners direct attention par
ticularly to the statements and sug-
| gestions of Chief Belt as to improve
ments in fire protection that may be made
by instructing the janitors: by preventing
| Accommodations of combustibles by pro-
viding additional fire extinguishers and
other measures of administration.
According to Chief Belts report. the
substance of which appeared in The Star
yesterday. the local schools visited by him
during his tour of inspection are prac-
| tically safe as far rs fire protection is
| concerned except in few minor. re-
spects. He suggested that the janitors
| be instructed to pay more attention to
| the use and care of fire eXtinguishers.
Principals and Teachers Competent.
The chief further reported: In CONVEX
sation with several of the principals and
teachers I found that in no case was
there any signs of, uneasiness and appre-
| hension, and in my opinion they are per-
| fectly competent to cope with any emer-
gency which may arise in connection with
fire. Every school building Is assigned
| fire alarm box number. and within two
minutes after receiving the alarm Of fire
the fire department and police department
| will be on the scene. l would further
state that the most dangerous points in
any building in event of fire the base
| ments and stairways, and especially Is
| this the case in school buildings. Smoke.
| gases and flames would ascend very rap
| idly from the basement up the stairsways.
and for this reason nothing of an infiam-
! mable nature should be kept In the base
! ment.
"AlI brick school buildings should have
| iron stairways, and if any wooden stair
| ways now exist they should be taken
down and replaced with iron. All hall
ways and corridors leading to tine stair
| ways to the exits should be made fire.
! resisting, and all ceilings in the basement
and the underneath portion of wooden
| stairways would be similarly protected.
| This should be done by first covering the
| ceiling with asbestos, then lacking one
! inch wooden strips over the asbestos and
then lacking metal sheets over the wood
en- strips The metal strips should be
! lap scanned.
Electric Fire Alarm System.
I'm all the large school buildings OF
two or more stories in height he added,
should be installed an electric fire alarm
system. with a six-inch gong each
floor and striking station in the engl-
neer's room and on every floor. This
| system should be substituted for the
present manner of sounding the alarm by
means of a bell rung by hand. The pro-
posed system would be far better, in
view of the fact that there would be no
chance of any pupil in the building fall
ing to hear the alarm.
Speaking specifically Of the Franklin
School, the chief called attention to a
large hall in the third story. which is
found to contain a quantity of old wood,
paper boxes and shavings and an old
model Of the building. and he recon-
mended that this space be cleaned out.
The rafters and sides of this hall. he
says. are exposed and the space between
| them and room No. 10 is used for the
storage of old papers and books by means
of shelves. He recommends that these be
removed and that the opening onto the
rafters be closed.
Regarded as Dangerous Point.
| II consider that this is one of the mos
DANGEROUS points in the building. and ii
should receive immediate attention
Chief Belt added. He further recon-
mended that fire extinsuishers be placed
| throughout the building. that the JAM
| tors storercom, frame building, be re-
moved and that the waste paper be re-
moved at least three times week. ana
| that all worthless property, such as
| chairs, tables. etc. be disposed Of as
! promptly as possible and that ashes and
| rubbish should not be allowed to accumu-
! late. With regard to fire escapes the
| chief says that the three fire escapes now
| on the building should be taken down for
| the reason that the ladders are vertical
| ladders, the platforms too narrow and
| that they are not at all adapted to the
| use of children. Until new fire escapes
are erected he recommends that the win
! dows should either be cut down to the
| level OF the floor or wooden steps provid-
ed for access to the fire escapes. and that
| all flowers and plants be removed from
| the windows leading to the escapes.
| Chief Belt suggests that in erecting
new fire escapes they should be of the
! standard platform type and with plat
| forms at least eighteen inches wider than
| the regulations call for, that the ladders
should not be vertical. but have such
| slant as to render descent or ascent
| as easy possible; that the windows
opening onto the escapes be cut down
so as to make easy access and that every
| thing should be done to render the es-
capes adapted for use by women and
children. The Franklin School has thir-
teen rooms and 400 children are accom-
modated in the building.