School Fire Alarm Concerns

Octavia Mitchell/Count on 2 News
Published: August 21, 2008

More than 21-thousand students in Dorchester District 2 went back to school Thursday.  The fire marshall showed up at one school, after a call from a parent.  His concern?  No fire alarms in six mobile classrooms.

Tim Smith's daughter is a fourth grader at Knightsville Elementary.  Due to overcrowding, she attends class in one of three double mobile classrooms,  but fire alarms or running water were not installed in the mobile units before the first day of school.  Smith says, "We were ensured that the fire alarms and water were going to be hooked up for these children on the first day of school. Kids are walking out of the building and it's raining.  They're going into a classroom where there is no fire alarms, no running water for these kids."  So Smith called the Old Fort Fire Department.  Smith says, "When you have no fire alarms,  and no P.A. the teacher has walkie talkies, it could be too late.  It's not a safe issue."

Fire marshall and assistant fire chief Joe Medlock came out to inspect the classrooms.  He says the school is working on installing the alarms and has safe guards in place.  Administrators made hourly checks to portable classrooms, and teachers had two way radios in case of emergencies.  Medlock says,  "We're satisfied with what they've done.  I've been in touch with the State Fire Marshall's Office, and exactly what they're doing is what he suggested also.  So, we feel the children are safe."

James Worthy, the district's director of facilities and maintenance says delays with contractors caused the problem.  Worthy says, "It was supposed to have been taken care of by now.  I have children in this school, and I don't want them to be unsafe,  and I woudn't put my child in a school that's unsafe."

Workers were at the school Thursday installing the fire alarms, but Smith says it's a day too late.  Smith says, "If I had known that this stuff was not in place especially the fire alarms, I would not had sent my kids to school until everything was in place."

Worthy says he expects water to be working in the portable classrooms by Friday.  They will also have canopies over the walkway soon. 

Due to growth, Dorchester District 2 had to add mobile classrooms to several schools this year, and now has a total of 108 portable units.