Extinguishing School Bus Fires:
More than Smoke and Mirrors Student transporters seek preemptive solutions Te first school bus fire of the school year likely happened last
By Art Gissendaner
August on the first day of school in the Southeast Polk Commu- nity School District in Iowa. Veteran driver John Fothergill smelled smoke and pulled his bus to the curb on a residential street. When he switched off the ignition, flames burst from the engine over the windshield. Fothergill immediately evacuated the 16 students he was transporting. Seconds later, the bus was fully engulfed in flames. No students were injured, and Fothergill’s actions were rec-
ognized with a Blue Bird Heroism Award at NAPT two months later. But the incident represents a variation on what has become a recurring theme during the current school year. And student transporters nationwide are becoming increasingly concerned that the reputation of the school bus as the safest form of trans- portation for children to and from school may literally be in danger of going up in smoke. “We are very concerned about the fires in school buses and
even more so about the perception it conveys,” says Bob Riley, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. “Certainly if there is a fire on a school bus it becomes national news, but statistically, we’ve never
40 School Transportation News Magazine May 2012
lost a child to a fire in a school bus. We have a strong relationship with the school bus manufacturers and have every confidence they are taking all steps in their purview to build a safe bus.” NHTSA backs up the claim of no known regular route fa-
talities as a result of a fire, school bus manufacturers remain sensitive to the issue and voluntarily recall school buses whenever potential fire hazards are identified. “Nobody likes to see school buses involved in any type of
accident or fire,” said Bruce Miles, chairman of the School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council (SBMTC). “Manufacturers re- ally use good design practices and consider all the potential risks. If there is a need to address a potential issue and a recall is the best way to handle it, they will do it.” Te National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration is the
guiding light for student transporters when it comes to school bus safety regulations. School transporters and manufacturers say that’s because NHTSA bases its recommendations on solid research and input from industry experts. “Tat’s who we look to for our safety guidelines on school bus- es,” said Diana Hollander, state director for pupil transportation
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68