School fires: Let us all be vigilant

As schools, learners, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector prepare for the start of the first term for this academic year for continuing students, the government has issued fire safety guidelines to prevent and handle fire outbreaks.

We would run off space listing the number of school fires that have occurred over the years but let’s go with the 2022 Annual Police Report which indicated that 40 schools were burnt, with 17 of them being set ablaze deliberately by unknown individuals. Every time a school fire happens, authorities come out of the woodwork to condemn the school or whoever is to blame.  

It is, therefore, refreshing to hear that the subject has come up without occurrence of a school fire but as a preventive measure in preparation for the school term.
According to the latest guidelines issued by the National Building Review Board (NBRB), schools should have functioning fire extinguishers, install fire and smoke detectors, fire hose reels, well labelled emergency exits, improved roofing, and fire hydrants, among others.

The Executive Secretary of NBRB, Ms Flavia G. Bwire said the Board with other partners including police,  officials from the Gender ministry, Kampala Capital City Authority  and members of the Private Educational Institution Association in Uganda, carried out a one-year investigation in 120 schools (60 government and 60 private) on school fires between May 2022 and May 2023.

They found that only three schools had carried out fire safety assessments by the time of the survey. None of the schools had a fire hydrant on site for fire emergencies and 30 percent installed fire detection and alarm systems, although they did not have adequate coverage. Findings of the study also show that 13 percent of the dormitories in the 120 schools were beyond the occupancy limit.

These and many other findings provide an easy starting point on how to deal with school fires and snuff the flames out. But as is with most good initiatives, all or at least most of the stakeholders must be on board to make sure that the set guidelines are followed to the tee. The ball cannot be left entirely with the school owners and administrators. Parents and guardians should care enough to ensure that the schools put these guidelines in place. 

A simple tour around the school especially in the dormitories and classes at the start of the term and during visitation days should be enough for one to know whether the school is doing right by the learners in regard to fire safety. 
If dormitory areas are out of bounds to parents, then it’s on the learners to report any form of negligence to their parents. Let’s not sit back and watch another school go up in flames especially due to negligence.