FIRE & ELECTRICAL SAFETY
DON’T SKIP SPRINKLER CLASS
With a new wave of investments planned in educational settings, Thomas Roche, Secretary of Business Sprinkler Alliance, asks whether we are thinking long term about fire protection in schools?
In October, the government announced its continued commitment to the future of education, unveiling plans to rebuild another 114 schools across the country. This investment presents an invaluable opportunity to ensure that our school buildings are not just fit for purpose but resilient for decades to come. But are we thinking long- term about fire protection in these rebuilds?
The impact of fire on schools is not just about the immediate damage; it's about the disruption to the educational process. A fire in a school can set back lessons for weeks, if not months. Even a small fire can wreak havoc on a community, displacing hundreds of students and forcing staff to juggle logistics and temporary accommodations for long periods. For many schools, especially those already operating with tight budgets, the costs of fire-related disruption can be overwhelming.
LESSONS IN SPRINKLERS On 8 January crews from Swansea West and Swansea Central Fire and Rescue Service responded to a fire at Sketty Primary School. The fire, which could have caused significant damage, was swiftly contained by the building's sprinkler system. Within hours, the school was back to normal, with minimal disruption to students or staff.
In contrast, fires at St. Michael's Primary School in South Gloucestershire and Otley Primary School in Ipswich caused major disruption. The fire at St. Michael's on 8 December destroyed parts of the school, leaving it ‘literally in pieces”, while the fire at Otley one day
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later spread to the roof, causing weeks of disruption. In both cases, it has been reported to be a struggle to get back on track, with classes being relocated and lesson schedules thrown off course. Otley Primary has had to relocate students to other schools and rely on online learning for many classes.
“FEWER THAN ONE IN SIX NEWLY BUILT SCHOOLS ARE BEING EQUIPPED WITH SPRINKLER SYSTEMS.”
These very recent fires clearly show how the presence (or absence) of sprinklers can drastically affect the recovery time after a fire. Sketty Primary was back in business the following day, while schools like St. Michael's and Otley continue to face lingering disruptions.
THE THREAT OF FIRE Many people will point to statistics to demonstrate trends regarding the reduction or increase in fires. However, what is often overlooked is the small population of schools we have, so the frequency of incidents is high. For secondary schools, the chance of a fire occurring in any given year is approaching 5% which is high – thinking that through, the chance of a secondary school having a fire in 10 years on that basis is 40%.
We often refer to a 2020 study by Zurich Municipal which revealed alarming statistics: over the past five years, more than 2,300 fires have occurred in schools across the UK. This has resulted in significant educational disruption, with as many as 390,000 teaching hours
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