ANOTHER SCHOOL FIRE, ANOTHER SPELL OF DISRUPTION
A fire at a primary school in Kent in late October is another painful reminder of the devasting impact of the damage, disruption and the costs incurred when school buildings are not fitted with sprinklers. With hundreds of schools in the UK having a fire each year and fewer than one-in-six new schools having been built with a sprinkler system installed, it is time we changed that. We agree with the recommendation from the Public Accounts Committee in their second report from their inquiry into the condition of school buildings that government should “reconsider its value for money analysis on fitting fire safety measures.”[1]
The early evening fire at Rodmersham Primary School near Sittingbourne on October 26th quickly engulfed the building. Whilst the Fire and Rescue service brought the fire under control there was extensive damage to the main school building. The following day, a statement from Kent Country Council said that temporary premises would be arranged for the school’s 117 pupils. It was later reported that students had several days of online learning, prior to classes taking place in temporary locations including the village hall. The school will now need to be rebuilt.
Another blaze in Bolton, which occurred on August 17th, caused even more damage to the very heart of the SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School. Around 80 firefighters and 17 fire engines across Greater Manchester fought to contain the fire which damaged the main teaching spaces, central hall and kitchens. The school has over 600 pupils.
Neither of these school buildings had the active fire safety measure of sprinklers. The ripple effects of such incidents are far-reaching, with fires causing significant disruption even if they do not engulf entire school premises. This was clearly signalled by the councillor responsible for children’s services in Bolton signalling that “Our priority as an authority now is to ensure that there is continuity of education provision come the start of the new school year and that there is no disruption." That statement was made at the end of August. Three months later the prolonged disruption continues, with the 600 pupils being taught across three separate sites.
Contrary to common assumptions, schools are not always adequately equipped to withstand the range of risks they might face over their lifetimes, be it fire, flood, theft, or other unforeseen events. A study conducted in 2020 by Zurich Municipal2 revealed alarming statistics – over the past five years, schools in England encountered a staggering 2,300 fires. The study projects potential disruption to education, estimating that as many as 390,000 teaching hours could be lost within a year due to significant fires, affecting 28,000 students. The monetary ramifications are equally dire, with the average repair bill for substantial fire incidents hovering around £2.9 million, while certain catastrophic fires can rack up costs of up to £20 million.
The silver lining, however, lies in proactive measures such as sprinkler systems. While these systems are hailed for their effectiveness in containing fires, promoting safety and minimising damage, their implementation remains inconsistent across the UK's educational landscape. Surprisingly, although mandatory in new Scottish school buildings and financially encouraged in Wales, these systems have yet to attain universal implementation in the rest of the UK. The installation of sprinklers could potentially curtail fire outbreaks and significantly reduce the resultant damage, leading to minimal disruption to education. The cost of sprinklers would be a small fraction of the cost and impact wrought by a fire and therefore represent strong value for money over the life of the school properties.
We agree that fires in schools must be avoided. We agree with the Public Accounts Committee second report recommendation and believe that the use of sprinklers in schools should be reconsidered and that the value for money analysis should assess the true impact of fire not just on buildings and equipment but further into the impacts on students, teachers and communities. It is high time that collective action is taken to safeguard our educational institutions against the devastating impact of fires, ensuring that the pursuit of knowledge remains unhampered by preventable incidents.
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