In November 2018, a school in the city of Wollongong was torn down by a massive fire. Thankfully, nobody was injured by the tragic fire. But, the school did sustain significant damage. With the recent unfortunate event of the Corrimal High School fire, school fire prevention should be taken into another level.
Managing schools has a lot of responsibilities. Part of the long list of duties and responsibilities as an owner or school director is providing safety, security, and protection of the students, faculty, and staff; this includes fire safety and protection. It should be compliant with the Wollongong School Fire Safety Code at all costs.
Wollongong School Fire Safety
Invest in time to learn about the fire risks in schools and how they should be dealt with
Invest in time to learn about the fire risks in schools and how they should be dealt with. The major cause of school fires is arson, followed by cooking equipment and accidental ignition from playing with sources of heat. These can be mitigated by putting up security and strictly implementing fire safety management.
One way to keep schools safe is by installing adequate fire protection systems and equipment. This should include, but not limited to the following equipment:
Fire Extinguishers
Schools often carry out laboratory experiments; accidental combustion or explosion could occur at any time. Thus, these facilities should be equipped with sufficient and best-suited fire extinguishers. Make sure that the teachers or instructors are knowledgeable in handling the fire extinguisher.
Fire extinguishers are important in containing the fire, before it becomes out of control; the probability of property damage and fatal injuries can be reduced significantly.
Fire Alarms
Fire alarms can either be manually operated or automatically detect the presence of fire. Once triggered, a sound accompanied by strobe light goes off alerting everyone on the premises of the danger.
Students, faculty, and staff are trained through fire drills of what to do when the alarm sounds. This promotes a safer, efficient and organized escape.
Emergency Lighting
In the event of a fire, powers are usually disrupted. The visibility in the egress routes can be obscured and hazy, due to the smoke and power outage. With emergency lighting and exit signs that are connected to an alternate power source, everyone can be guided through.
Sprinkler Systems
When the fire alarms are triggered, sprinklers are automatically activated
Sprinkler systems are often linked to the fire alarms. When the fire alarms are triggered, sprinklers are automatically activated. This helps contain the fire, while the emergency responders are on their way.
Implement School Fire Safety Protocols
The next step in improving the safety of the school, after it has been fully equipped with fire protection systems is to implement fire safety protocols.
These involve training the faculty and staff with the following fire safety protocols:
- Proper usage of fire extinguishers and where they are located.
- Location of pull stations and when they should be activated.
- Evacuation procedures and reading egress route maps on classroom walls and hallways.
- Reason for using the staircase instead of the elevator during emergencies.
- Location of building exits and the importance of keeping these exits clear from all obstructions.
- Fire drill procedures and responsibilities of watching over the students and accounting them afterward.
FCF - trusted fire protection company in Australia
Whether a school is code-compliant? FCF can ensure this for them. FCF is a trusted fire protection company throughout Australia.
Whether there is a need for fire protection systems to be inspected, repaired, replaced or have new ones installed, FCF will be glad to be of service.
