When is the last time your school had a fire inspection? Poynter's Al Tompkins writes in Al's Morning Meeting about a TV station that found schools had not had fire inspections in years. Do some investigative reporting and find the records for your state -- they're probably online -- and see if your school is safe. Compare your school's safety with others.
KNXV-TV in Pheonix found
that in one school district, not one school has undergone a fire
inspection in seven years; and in one county, 70 schools -- out of 200
-- have not been inspected in two years or longer.
The safety problems the station noted are not small:
We observed violation after violation -- emergency exits blocked by huge
rolls of carpeting, obstructed fire extinguishers, an extension cord
extending through a wall, gas shut-offs not labeled in science labs,
and inaccessible fire risers.
In
its online reporting, the station offers extended interviews. A
database at the end of the story allows users to type in the name of
their [Arizona] school and see when it was last inspected.
