Evening star., 1939-10-25
Better Fire Alarm
System Urged for
40Schoo|s
Five Types in Use;
Fire Marshal Acts
After Inspection

There are no less than five diff
ferent types of fire alarms in the
Districts ITS school buildings, q
study revealed today.
More than half the buildings
principally the smaller schools
still operate under the old hand
gong system. Thirty-flve have un-
coded siren alarms, Is have uncoded
gongs and II have the very latest
coded gong or interior alarm sys-
tenn, it was learned.
In addition, three schools
trail High, Deal Junior High and
the w. B. Powell School-depend
upon their class bell system for an
alarm.
Interior System Recommended.
In connection with this setup and
as result of his annual inspection,
the fire marshal has recommended
installation of the interior alarm
system in 40 additional schools. 1t
was indicated, however, that an ap-
preparation would be necessary to do
all of this work as there is not
enough money available in the re-
pair fund.
Fire Inspector E. L. Jones ex-
planned that under the interior or
coded alarm signal the location of
the fire in the building could be
determined Immediately. With both
the uncoded gong and siren, he
pointed out, there is no clue as to
the location of the flames and
some time is required in checking
around the building-especially in
the larger schools-to locate the
fire. The hand gongs are adequate
In the smaller schools, he felt.
He described as very poor" how
ever, the system of depending on
school bells for alarm. A fire alarm,
he declared, should serve a single
purpose only.
All Have Fireb0xes.
All school buildings have flreboxes
by which fire apparatus may be
summoned, he said, although in
some Of the older buildings it only
amounts to a telephone connection
with fire alarm headquarters. The
newer schools and particularly the
larger ones, in some instances have
q box inside and outside the build
Ing. The outside box is thus avail
able to the community when the
building is closed and firemen re-
spending to a call from that loca-
ton can tell by examining the out
side box whether the fire is inside
the building or not.
Interior alarm systems, Inspector
Jones said, have been installed in the
latest additions to the school system
including the Chamberlain Voca-
tional, Banneker Junior High and
the Calvin Coolidge Senior High,
which is still under construction.
Fire Department Advises.
The Electrical Department and
the Fire Department are consulted
IN the type of alarm installed, it
was stated. In the cases of the very
newest buildings, the plans have
been sent to these units for notifica-
ton OF placement of fire extinguish-
ers for which indentation is then
made IN the walls at the suggested
points to protect it.
Inspector Jones had high praise
for the principals of the schools in
the matter of conducting fire drills.
Schools recommended for the new
Interior alarm installations are Cen
trail High, Eastern High, Hugh
Browne Junior High, Deal Junior
High, Langley Junior High, Powell
Junior High, Randall Junior High,
Terrell Junior High, Abbot Voca-
tional, Wilson Teachers College, the
Barnard, Bell, Birney, Anthony
Bowen, Brightwood, Brookland,
Brown, Bruce, Burroughs, Cleve-
land, Curtis, Deanwood, Douglass
Simmons, Eaton, French, Garrison
Giddings, Langdon, Mann, Murch,
Orr, Park View, Peabody, Petworth,
Shepherd, Stoddert, Thomson, Trues-
dell, Woodbridge and Young.