Preventing fires on school grounds is a challenge—you have to address a variety of hazards, often spread across multiple buildings, and make sure everyone is prepared to react in the event of an emergency. Most school administrators know that alarms and extinguishers are must-haves, but to truly safeguard your students, staff, and buildings, you need a more comprehensive strategy.
Schools that don’t understand or take fire safety seriously put everyone at risk and undermine trust within their communities. From smoke detectors to drills, here’s an overview of what school fire safety really means.
Why Every School Should Prioritize Fire Safety
Local fire departments in the United States responded to an average of 3,230 fires on school properties per year from 2014 to 2018, underscoring why fire safety is so important. Before jumping into the specifics of what your alarm and training systems should look like, let’s take a closer look at why they’re necessary.
Preventing Harm to People and Property
The number one reason to put fire safety at the top of your school to-do list is the safety of the people on your campus. Vulnerable student populations, ranging from preschoolers to teenagers, are counting on their school leaders to ensure they walk into a safe environment every day.
Schools are high-occupancy buildings where even a small fire can cause significant damage in a short period of time. Smoke inhalation and burns can injure employees and students, and flames can destroy classroom materials and technology. On top of that, fires spread especially quickly in older buildings with outdated infrastructure—and the average age for a school in the United States is 49 years.
Meeting Legal and Regulatory Requirements
Protecting the lives of students and staff is more than enough reason to keep fire safety top of mind, but state laws and regulations offer even more motivation. Schools have to maintain compliance with fire safety standards set by the state government, which include installing fire alarm systems, having readily accessible emergency exits, and holding regular fire drills.
For example, schools in Pennsylvania have to perform fire drills at least once a month while school is in session. Failing to keep up with that requirement is a violation of state law, and school leaders can face serious legal consequences.
Install an Effective Fire Detection and Alarm System
Now that we know why you need a good fire safety program, let’s look at what it should include, starting with fire alarm systems and detection devices. We’ll also explore what you can do to ensure those systems stay in good working order.
Choosing Key Components
Fire detection, alarms, and suppression are the heart of a successful school fire safety program. At a minimum, your system should include these components:
- Smoke detectors: High-sensitivity smoke detectors, like those available from 2 Krew Surveillance and Security, will pick up even small amounts of smoke. This fast detection means everyone can get to safety more quickly.
- Fire alarm boxes: If someone sees signs of a fire, they can manually trigger the alarm by pulling a switch. Many schools use enclosed boxes to prevent false alarms.
- Fire sprinklers: Sprinklers activate when the heat in a room reaches a certain temperature. They spray water to help prevent the fire from spreading and can also trigger the alarm.
- Notification devices: Your alarm system should notify everyone in the building as soon as it detects smoke or flames. Choose a combination of visual and auditory alerts, such as alarms and strobe lights, so the message is clear to everyone.
Keep in mind that each school fire alarm system is different because of that school’s unique layout and construction. At 2 Krew, we specialize in developing systems specific to your specific features and requirements.
Performing Regular Testing and Maintenance
Once you have a solid fire alarm system for schools in place, the goal is to keep it up and running at all times. Consistent maintenance and testing allow you to pick up on problems before an actual fire emergency breaks out, so a system failure doesn’t put people at greater risk. School facilities staff should periodically inspect the system, looking for signs of damage or wear.
In addition, bring in a professional team to take a closer look once a year, and keep detailed documentation of everything they report back to you, including any issues they find and how they corrected them. These logs help you demonstrate regulatory compliance and stay on top of any necessary upgrades or replacements.
Implement Fire Safety Training and Drills
Along with having the right technologies in place, you also need to make sure everyone in the building understands your fire safety plan and how to follow it. Fire drills and training might interrupt an already busy school day, but they’re much less disruptive than the time it takes to recover from a fire.
Developing a Detailed Fire Safety Policy
Your fire safety policy should outline what fire detection and alarm tools you’ll use and describe your training and drill strategies. Make sure your plan addresses these core questions:
- How frequently will you have fire drills?
- What roles will different staff members have during a fire emergency?
- How will you notify building occupants when they need to evacuate?
- Where will everyone gather after leaving the building?
- How will you report the fire to emergency responders?
- How will staff confirm everyone has safely evacuated the building?
At 2 Krew, we know a high-quality fire alarm system is the answer to many of these questions. For example, your fire alarm system can notify everyone in the building of the danger and automatically alert the fire department so they can respond as quickly as possible and minimize any damage.
Covering Essential Information During Drills and Training
Fire safety training and drills aren’t designed to scare students. The purpose is to teach them—and your staff—how to react if there’s a fire. Learning how to stay calm and avoid rushing can mean the difference between an orderly evacuation and a chaotic escape from the building that causes injuries and panic.
Create a training system for staff that educates them on how to lead students during a fire emergency. Focus on topics such as evacuation routes and using emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and blankets. Educate everyone in the school on fire hazards and prevention methods, and use your monthly drills to reinforce safe evacuation practices.
Promote School Fire Safety With the Right Alarm System
Fire-related deaths and injuries on school campuses are relatively rare, but that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Keeping staff and students current on their training, running regular drills, and installing an effective fire alarm system are critical steps.
Schools in the Pittsburgh and Tri-State area trust 2 Krew Security and Surveillance to provide fire safety insights and solutions. Ready to make your school a safer space for everyone? Contact us for a consultation or to learn more about our customized fire alarm systems for schools.
