User Manual

38
A large number of fires are caused by “playing with fire”,
which accounts for a high proportion of home fires,
however it is also responsible for numerous school fires.
To address this issue a number of countries including
Sweden have launched government funded education
programs aimed at making clear to children what the
consequences of their actions might be. Many fires are
started outside school buildings, often with material
found easily to hand (such as in bins or rubbish skips) and
schools in urban environments are considerably more
likely to suffer arson attacks than those in rural areas. It is
relatively easy to get an indication of the vulnerability of a
school to such attacks by looking at the recent history of
the school and its neighborhood.
 Is the local crime rate high?
 Have there been other cases of arson?
 Have there been many cases of vandalism?
 Have there been many break-ins?
 Is combustible waste stored in close proximity to the
building?
 Are the school grounds accessible to the public
outside school hours?
Particularly in cases where the vulnerability to arson
attacks is seen to be high, addressing the following issues
can help to reduce the risk of out-of-hours arson attacks.
 Deter unauthorized entry onto the site:
Lock gates; illuminate the area; organize random
security patrols
 Prevent unauthorized entry into the building:
Fit approved locks; install intruder alarms; engage
with neighborhood watch organizations;consider
CCTV supervision; ensure shut-down procedures are
followed (especially at the end of after-school
activities)
 Reduce the opportunity for an offender to start a fire:
Chain-up refuse containers at a distance of some
meters from the building
7.2.2 Fire drills
School fire drills go a long way towards preventing panic
in the event of a subsequent fire emergency and
ultimately play a key role in protecting life.
Cloakrooms are the number one source of fires started deliberately
within school buildings
7.2.3 School-related hazards
[5][6]
A number of typical school “institutions” that present a
hazard to maintaining uncluttered, smoke free escape
routes are described in the following paragraphs.
Notice boards
School notice boards are typically installed in circulation
areas and are an important means of communication to
the students (and in many cases also between students).
Such boards covered with numerous paper notices are
clearly a fire hazard, as they could easily contribute to the
spread of fire and generate further smoke in areas that
are likely to form part of an escape route. For this reason
the maximum width of notice boards and the minimum
distance between them are often regulated by country-
specific guidelines. The notice boards themselves should
be made of non-flammable material and should be fitted
with a cover that is hinged at the top. This type of
construction would prevent any escape route being
obstructed by a cover that had not been properly closed
and was left sticking out into corridor.
Displays
Displays of pupils’ work are also frequently located in
corridors and in entrance foyers, and are generally
comprised of materials such as paper, cardboard and
plastic which could be conducive to the rapid spread of
fire. The following guidelines are designed to reduce this
risk:
 Avoid the use of displays in corridors and foyers
 Minimize the size and number of display areas
to discrete, separated areas
 Do not put displays down stairways which are part
of a designated escape route or where there is only
one direction of escape
 Ensure that displays do not obstruct escape routes or
obscure fire notices, fire alarm call points, firefighting
equipment or escape signs
Cloakrooms
As discussed earlier, cloakrooms are the number one
source of fires started deliberately within school
buildings. However, they can be an additional hazard
when they are situated in corridors that are part of an
escape route. Cloakrooms should only be permitted in
corridors under the following conditions:
 In existing buildings
 Where no alternative space is available
 Lockers must be made of metal or other non-
flammable material
 Even with the locker doors open, the minimum
specified escape route width must be guaranteed
Community usage
School premises are also frequently used out of school
hours for local community activities and these visitors
may not be as familiar with the building layout or the
location of fire exits and fire escapes as the students who
regularly use the buildings. Visitors may also vary greatly
in physical condition, age and mental awareness. Each of
these factors can be dramatically intensified during the
stress situation created by an emergency event such as
a fire alarm or building evacuation.