The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutSafety Inspections - FIR Inspections - 11/9/1995 w FREDYANCEY Y1 MATLOCK, WASHINGTON BOARD OF DIRECTORS Superintendent/Principal VVVY'"' Mail W 2967 Matlock Brady Road • Elma,Washington 96541 JUDY CURRY ELIZABETH SHOEMAN (360)426-6767 FAX(360)427-5516 President Principal/Business Manager JOHN PAIS CAROLYN SANGSTON Vice-President Admin.Secretary OWEN TICKNOR KURT KINGMAN STEVEN WOOD November 9, 1995 alzer Fire MarshallDave S ITID Mason County NOV PO Box 186 Shelton, WA 98584 GENERALSERUICES Re:Inspection Letter of October 17, 1995 Dear Mr. Salzer, I have shared your letter with all staff, the Board of Directors and the Safety Committee. Let me speak to the status of each area: ,,1_YDecorative Materials on Walls: The staff is aware of the concerns mentioned. ,, - hristmas Trees: The staff has been notified of these suggestions and the conditions to be met should live trees be used in the buildings. Wastebaskets: Fire retardant baskets will be ordered this summer and the plastic ones will be replaced with these are the need arises. The wastebaskets are generally emptied daily already. ,:4.Koffee Makers: The coffee makers in both staff rooms have been replaced with Mr. Coffee models that have an automatic shut-off feature after two hours of continuous operation. tension Cords: Surge suppressors have been substituted. The information on the inferior quality suppressors has been distributed to all staff and safety committee. .Zeire Doors: Door stops have been removed from all doors. Specific Issues ,7,�'Woodshop: The items noted have been corrected. 'Gym: We have received bids for supplies and materials and have ordered the exit signs, emergency lights and batteries for all areas as noted. The cost to the district of this will be in excess of $2,000 excluding labor. Stage: See #8 above. ♦An Equal Opportunity Employer• � -2- ,1"ain Hall/High School: See Item #8 above, JJ>)'Portable: The corrections have been made. IZ Grade School: See #8 above. P, Library: The corrections have been made. Faculty Room: See comments regarding coffee makers above. _).-&'Boiler Room: The correction has been made. Bus Barn: The cord has been removed. .L"etal Shop: Your comments have been noted, and the cord has been removed, Please let me know if these responses are adequate. Contact either me or Mr. Nick Iversen if you have any questions. Sincerely, ed key Super' tenlent Mary K ight SD # xc: E. Shoeman N. Iversen School Board MASON COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL Mason County Bldg. III 426 W. Cedar P.O. Box 186 Shelton,Washington 98584 (360)427-9670 CODE ENFORCEMENT FIRE INSPECTIONS FIRE INVESTIGATION PUBLIC EDUCATION October 17 , 1995 Mr. Fred Yancy Mary M. Knight School W 2987 Matlock Brady Road Matlock, WA 9898560 Mr. Yancy: Pursuant to our fire safety inspection of your facility on August 25, I wanted to confirm the issues that we identified. It is our expectation that any deficiencies would be corrected within 30 days of your receipt of this letter. If circumstances require an extension, please contact my office. For future reference, I have enclosed some information regarding the more commonly found fire safety hazards in commercial buildings, and some information on multi-outlet adapters. GENERAL COMMENTS: DECORATIVE MATERIALS ON WALLS The Uniform Fire Code addresses the use of combustible decorative materials in school buildings. The general statement is that all such materials shall be flame resistant. There is another statement that appears to offer a degree of flexibility in applying this requirement. The real issue here is that an excessive amount of flammable decorative material on walls does present a fire hazard. I don't have an answer as to how much is too much. The only value that I can find in the Fire Code is in reference to decorative materials that contain foam plastic. In that case, there is a reference to limiting such materials to 10% of the wall area (10% of each wall surface) . My intent is to bring the issue to your attention, in the hope the staff becomes aware that paper all over the walls in the halls and classrooms may look great, but it is a fire hazard, especially in schools that do not have a sprinkler system. I would ask that an effort be made to limit the amount of such materials and to try to use materials that are fire resistant. CHRISTMAS TREES My suggestion is that live trees not be allowed inside the school buildings. If you do allow them, the following conditions apply: 1. Live trees shall be treated with a fire retardant. 2 . The butt should be cut off of the tree at least 2" above t1tt original cut. 3 . The butt should be kept in water at all times. If the needles come off of a branch easily, the tree should be removed. 4 . Use only UL listed electrical decorations, and unplug at the end of the school day. WASTEBASKETS Use fire retardant wastebaskets and empty daily. COFFEE MAKERS Plug directly into a wall outlet. Unplug when not in use. EXTENSION CORDS Do not use extension cords in lieu of permanent wiring. Multi- outlet adapters shall not be used unless they are protected by a built-in circuit breaker or fuse. FIRE DOORS We noticed instances where fire doors in hallways were propped open, particularly classroom doors. I researched this issue extensively. My conclusion is that fire doors need to be kept closed (or be able to close) at all times. The metal "feet" must be removed from doors that are part of a fire-rated assembly. If there is a need to keep these doors open, they must be outf itted with magnetic door holders, which are connected to the fire alarm system. SPECIFIC ISSUES: 1. EXIT LIGHTS. We noticed that many of the lighted exit signs and battery backup emergency lights were inoperative. A thorough evaluation of all such emergency devices should be done and any inoperative devices should be repaired. WOODSHOP 1. Remove dust accumulations from electrical boxes and outlets. 2 . Replace junction box cover adjacent to the overhead rolling door. 3 . Repair exit light. 4 . Provide access to the fire alarm pull station and fire extinguisher in the corridor. 5 . Repair the hole in the sheetrock wall in the woodshop storage room. GYM 1. Repair exit signs and emergency lights. 2 . Remove all combustible storage from air handling room. THIS IS NOT TO BE USED FOR STORAGE. 3 . Repair hole in wall above air handling room door. 4 . Remove all combustible storage from the boiler room. 5 . Repair exit signs in girls and boys locker rooms. 6. Replace the cover for the smoke detector in the hallway. STAGE 1. Repair exit signs/emergency lights. MAIN HALL/HIGH SCHOOL 8 1. Repair exit sign. 2 . Replace smoke detector covers. 3 . Repair exit sign in boys locker room. 4 . Repair emergency lights in hall . 5 . Remove feet on fire doors. HISTORY PORTABLE. 1. Remove the extension cord to the TV. 2 . Replace 9V battery in the smoke detector. GRADE SCHOOL 1. Repair emergency light in girls bathroom. LIBRARY 1. Remove the yellow extension cord from the adapter box. 2 . Mount a fire extinguisher on the wall near an exit door. 4' from the floor to the top of the fire extinguisher. FACULTY ROOM 1. Unplug the coffee maker when not in use. BOILER ROOM 1. Mount the fire extinguisher. 2 . Secure the propane tanks in the pump house. BUS BARN 1. Remove the extension cord from the hot pot. METAL SHOP 1. Remove the extension cord from the grinder. 2 . Limit the use of extension cords. Provide additional electrical outlets if needed. I apologize for the delay in summarizing the inspection issues, and I appreciate your assistance in working with my office. Thank you for your interest in fire safety. Best Regards, Dave Salzer Fire Marshal cc: FD 12 14