River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-03-05
SCHOOL FIRE DRILLS

u iually accompanies it. The prin.
cipal thing is TO prevent the panic.
The two points that are to be con-
sidered are, first-Order; and Sec
ond-Rapidity. See TO it that the
ire alarm system is always in per-
feet working order. See that the
exit facilities are sufficient and are
always unobstructed 1t is usually
advisable to have the children march
out two by two, and where possible
the march should be accompanied
oy music or singing TO divert the
minds Of the pupils. T b ers
should always follow to be certain
that no child has been left behind
Some of the older children might be
detailed as monitors, with certain
fixed duties for the different moni-
tors that are assigned 1t is i'm
portant to teach the pupils in the
course of fire drills to overcome OBJ
stacles, and to be prepared to meet
emergencies, in the event of an ac.
tual fire.
All doors should open outward
an these exit doors should never
be locked during school sessions.
Fire drills should be to the fire es-
capes as we'll as to the exits, and
should conclude with a continued
m arch of the children out of and
away from the school building.
believe it is especially important to
hold occasionally fire fighting in
Struction program There should
be short talks by the teachers on
| fire prevention and the evils of care
lessness 1t is important that these
lessor should be as free as possible
from excitement and should be adj
dressed to the common sense of the
pupils "a Their than totheir magma
ton.
/ believe that stories Of the fire
horrors particular reference to dis
asters In schools usually do more
harm than good, and should be
avoided. Fire is particularly fas-
cinating to many people and especi-
ally TO children, and | believe that
pyromania is frequently caused by
arousing the imagination and ex-
element of children by stories of
great fire disasters and by seeing
such calamities illustrated by NOV
ing pictures.
The drill should be a business
like aft air, conducted in a bushes
like manner, and for the special
purpose of getting out of and away
from the building as rapidly as pos
sible. Fire drills should be prac-
tised frequently and at irregular
and secret times, as these repetitions
will familiarize children with their
duties and in the event of fire they
will not be taken unaWareS
Our department has complied a
list of fatalities resulting from fire,
taken from clippings of local state
newspapers, fur ished the depart
ment by a state clipping bureau.
For the first six months of the pres
ent fiscal year, commencing July /,
1918, our statistical tables show the
following deaths from fire during
those six months: July 7; August,
l6; September. S; October, Is; No
vember, 4; December, 8; total, SO.
OF the causes assigned the moSt
frequently for the fires resulting in
the SO deaths, children playing with
matches was given ten times, care
lessness with matches nine, and
starting or fastening stove fires
with kerosene, eight. Thus it will
be seen that nearly one-hatf the fires
resulting in these deaths had their
origin from only three of the most
common fire causes. Using the
multiple of three, which the United
States Government employs in such
cases, there were also ia very seri-
Gus injuries from fires during the
same half year period On the as
sumption that the same ratio of
deaths and serious injuries from
fire will continue for the succeeding
six months, This would give 116
fatalities and 348 serious casualties
for the whole year.
AS this state has most fortunately
been spared any great school-house
holocausts, such as several other
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