Term Paper on "Fire Safety in Schools Past and Present"

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Approach

Data Gathering Method

Database of the Study

Validity of the Data

Originality & Limitations of Data

Summary of Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Data Analysis

Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Bibliography

Chapter 1: Introduction

Problem Statement

There are many hazards that come with planning for fire safety in schools. Not everyone realizes the significance of the danger that these children can face if the fire safety in their schools is not up-to-date, and those that do realize the danger often think only of the chance of major fires or terrorist acts, as opposed to the simple problems that can take place so easily and become so very devastating if there is not a strong prevention plan in place.

There are many more problems that the students and faculty could face than the obvious ones that are most easily thought of. The problems that are faced are varied and some are much more common than others, but it is important that a full understanding be gained of the many concerns faced by individuals within schools when they try to create a plan for fire safety, and the concerns that were seen with fire safety in the past as well.

In order to show the issues that are dealt with, it is vital that occurrences that lead to problems and dangers be noted and studied. Equally important are the ways that individuals can avoid danger, so as to help others in the field in the future. There are many causes for fire hazards for schools, but there are also deterrents and good ideas that can be utilized, and knowing these can sometimes save the life of others. The real problem, however, is uncertainty. People that plan for fire safety and protection never really know what they are getting into when they design a system for protection because there are many different ways that a fire cans start, and what causes the fire can determine much regarding how fast it burns, how hot it gets, and other issues. These are things that are not often known until they happen, however, and fire safety personnel must know how to prepare for them so that they are able to diffuse a bad situation to the best of their abilities.

School fire safety personnel who are able to use strategies that turn bad situations into safer ones will help not only themselves, but all who are at the school during that time, including many innocent children and adults that just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Knowing the problems that could occur and the strategies that are needed to avoid or limit them is extremely important because the school fire safety worker must remain focused on the task of taking care the children and adults in his or her care. The potential for danger must therefore be registered and dealt with very quickly, so that the people in the school have the maximum chance of survival in any and all fire-related situations (Maguire, Hunting, Smith, & Levick, 2002).

Because little has been written about this particular issue, the study of it and the awareness of it by those in the profession is somewhat limited. This requires a change, because these individuals are putting themselves into dangerous circumstances on a nearly daily basis if the fire protection at the school that they are going to is not adequate, and most are not aware of the significance of the problems that they could potentially become involved with. The only way to help these school fire safety workers is to ensure that they are aware of the hazards that they face, the causes of these hazards, and the deterrents for them as well. This can only come through education, and educating those that will be teaching school fire safety personnel is then of utmost importance, but unfortunately they are not often taught until something bad happens and they must then learn from that.

While many appear to remain unconcerned about this issue, it is a growing problem for those that must educate school fire safety personnel and train them. Frightening them about the dangers of the job will stop some people from completing their training and going on to work in the field, and not being honest about the dangers could lead to other problems, such as lawsuits from injuries and other difficulties. A balance is necessary, where information is provided that is factual and important, but where there is no need to unduly worry those that have decided on school fire safety services as a career.

Because of the variety of problems that school fire safety workers deal with, there are two hypotheses that will be considered here:

Hypothesis One: Fire safety workers in schools can face dangers and occupational hazards that are more significant than is realized by the normal population.

Not enough information exists and has been studied about these occupational hazards to accurately determine what causes them and what can be best utilized as a deterrent in most cases.

Both of these hypotheses are important, as many school fire safety workers are injured every year in this country and others, and the potential for children and adults to be badly hurt remains. Much of this could be avoided by making changes to the way that these individuals do their jobs and the way that fire safety is addressed in schools. This would obviously be to their benefit, but would also be to the benefit of their employers and the students and faculty at the schools. The employers would benefit in two ways:

First, there would be less 'down-time' for individuals that were injured while doing their duty, which would help to reduce the length of time needed to get schools and other facilities that required service.

Second, the costs associated with doing business would be lessened because these individuals would not be coming to harm at a high rate (and neither would students and faculty) and therefore medical expenses and insurance expenses would be lessened, which would ease the financial burden of those that employ them and work with them.

The students and faculty that these workers deal with every day would also be helped, in that they could expect more people to help them, better response times if there was a fire, and other issues that would make their experience better and allow them a greater chance of quick and competent help, not only if a fire started, but in making sure that their schools were as safe as humanly possible. Finding the causes and deterrents of hazards and problems for these workers would not only save worker lives, but may save student and faculty lives as well.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to show that there are dangers for school fire safety personnel that go far beyond the obvious, such as the actual fire, and to show that fire protection and safety has changed much from the past to the present. This is a concern, but there are many other issues that these individuals must face every day that are far more likely and dangerous than the possibility of the actual fire. These will all be discussed and detailed in the review of the literature in Chapter Two. A study such as this will provide insight into why there are so many risks to these school fire safety workers and the schools as well and what can be done to minimize these risks. Geographical location… READ MORE