The Washington times., 1908-03-16
.INSPECTS SCHOOLS.
ALARM IS USELESS.
SAYS CHIEF BELT
Makes Many Suggestions
to Guard the Safety
of Pupils.

That In no school building which he
has visited are there conditions which
would warrant alarm or Uneasiness on
the part of parents Of children. is the
statement contained i'm a report of an
inspection of the buildings submitted
by Chief Belt Of the Fire Department
10 the Commissioners today. The chief
make many suggestions. but says there
Is no need for undue alarm.
'All these schools says the chief,
shave wide corridors and Railways, ex-
cept the Tower School. which has two
wooden stairways. Fire drills We're
given in several of the schools and these
drills were highly satisfactory. The
longest time consumed IN emptying any
school building was one minute and
fifty seconds, the shortest time one
minute and ten seconds,
Easements and Stairways.
"The most dangerous points in any
building in event Of FIRE are the base
1nent and stairways and especial, IN
this is tins the case in school buildings.
Smoke, gases, and flames would as
iCend very rapidly from the basement
up the stairWays and for this reason
nothing OF an inhammable nature
should be kept in the basement.
''AE brick buildings should have iron
Etairways and if any wooden stairways
now exist they should be replaced with
iron
''AH Railways and corridors leading
from the stairwsys TO exits should be
shade IRE resisting and all ceilings Ia
tJhe Easements and the underneath por-
iJion of wooden stairways should be
similarly protected.
Electric Alarms Needed.
! In some of the schools jani.crs are
not familiar with the use of FIRE ex-
tinguishers. and they were found 10
be in bad condition as regards cleanli-
ness
Trash in Hall
In the hall of the third story of the
Franklin School building the chief
found a quantity of old wood, paper
boxes. and shayings. and an Old model
Of the building. He recommends that
this be cleaned out.
THE rafJers and sides in this hail
are exposed" he says. and the space
between them and room No. 10 is used
Tor the storage OF old papers and books
ON shelving. The papers, books, and
shelving should be removed from this
portion OF the building and the opening
onto the raILelS closed I consider Inl5
one Of the most dangerous points IN
the building. and iJ should receive i'm
mediate attention
The chief recommends that fire eX-
Iinguishers be placed about the build
ing. that the JaultOr's storerOOms a
frame building. be removed; that the
waste paper be removed at least once
. week; that all worthless chairs, tables
and like property be removed as prompt
ly as possible, and that ashes and rub
Dish not be allowed TO accumulate in
the building.
lie recommends that the three fire.
escapes be removed as they are not
adopted for the use of children. They
are vertical ladders, he says. and the
platforms are too narrow. Until new
dire-esCapes are erected, the windows
ne says, should be cut down TO the
level Of the floor or wooden steps pro-
Nlded for access 10 the horoscopes,
and flowers and plants removed from
Ghe windows.
Standard FiTe-Escapes.
It is recommended that standard fire.
escapes replace those now in use.
Commissioner Macfarland will rec
Ummend TO the Commissioners TO
send these reports TO the Board Of Ed
ucatiou with the suggestion that they
prepare estimates FOR such improve
mEuts as may be necessary.
In view OF the statements recently
made about the danger in certain
church buildings in case or fire or panic,
Commissioner Macfarland today asked
Chief Engineer Belt TO examine the
~