'free schools'....

[Karissa]

Is this the right section?

Anyway...

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=153815160

relaxation of building regs and planning laws to allow the use of houses and shops for schools

[kurnal]

Lot of politics involved. Not sure how it will impinge on fire safety. The Fire Safety order will still apply so its really just the guidance used as the benchmark that may change. There are a number of things in BB100 I dont like and some of the "Exemplar" designs commissioned by the previous administration were crackers.

Have you seen some of the comments posted on the web page? Why do the political activists get on these bandwagons and start turning it round to race issues?  I have worked on projects for all religeons and recently a  fire strategy for a school attached to a mosque. Built to ADB standards and rock solid fire safety wise no corners cut. Then I look at some of the government built schools, clasp and the like and think perhaps we have nothing to fear?   So overall in my opinion its a case of  wait and see.

[Chris Houston]

Could not agree more on the unsuitability of the CLASP and other similar type constructions.  Completely unsustainable constructions.

But as for relaxing fire safety in schools.....if anything I think schools should be at the highest end of fire safety.  Not only do they have a disproportionate amount of fires, but they are used by our children.  We should be expecting higher standards for them, not lower.

[Chris Houston]

But this is completely the wrong forum "RR(FS)O Press Releases"?  Eh? 

So moving it to fire safety.

[Clevelandfire 3]

Could not agree more on the unsuitability of the CLASP and other similar type constructions.  Completely unsustainable constructions.

But as for relaxing fire safety in schools.....if anything I think schools should be at the highest end of fire safety.  Not only do they have a disproportionate amount of fires, but they are used by our children.  We should be expecting higher standards for them, not lower.

When did you last hear of pupils dying in a school fire?

[Chris Houston]

Could not agree more on the unsuitability of the CLASP and other similar type constructions.  Completely unsustainable constructions.

But as for relaxing fire safety in schools.....if anything I think schools should be at the highest end of fire safety.  Not only do they have a disproportionate amount of fires, but they are used by our children.  We should be expecting higher standards for them, not lower.

When did you last hear of pupils dying in a school fire?

I last read about a fatal school fire today.  Curiosity prompted me to google between reading your question and posting this answer.

As we're on the subject, and assuming we are on the subject of the importance of school fire prevention, I'd point out that there are lots of factors to consider when deciding upon the appropriate level of fire prevention in schools.  Risk of death from fire is a good one, risk of injury also.  Near misses would be something to consider in this assessment, as would the risk of property damage and all the consequences of property damage to.

[nearlythere]

Have you any details of that fatality Chris?

[Mushy]

Could not agree more on the unsuitability of the CLASP and other similar type constructions.  Completely unsustainable constructions.

But as for relaxing fire safety in schools.....if anything I think schools should be at the highest end of fire safety.  Not only do they have a disproportionate amount of fires, but they are used by our children.  We should be expecting higher standards for them, not lower.

When did you last hear of pupils dying in a school fire?

relax the standards and maybe we'll hear a lot more

[Midland Retty]

I last read about a fatal school fire today. Near misses would be something to consider in this assessment, as would the risk of property damage and all the consequences of property damage to.

I take it this wasn't in the UK Chris.

We do have a lot of school fires in the UK, mostly caused by arson, some by contractors. Not heard of a fire deaths in schools for many years however.

[Clevelandfire 3]

Exactly

[nearlythere]

The standards have been relaxed in schools for many years.

[Chris Houston]

Have you any details of that fatality Chris?

I think it was in Uganda in 2008.  Google will provide you with all the answers.

I acknowledge that number of deaths is a relavant factor.  But there are many others. 

[Steven N]

Could not agree more on the unsuitability of the CLASP and other similar type constructions.  Completely unsustainable constructions.

But as for relaxing fire safety in schools.....if anything I think schools should be at the highest end of fire safety.  Not only do they have a disproportionate amount of fires, but they are used by our children.  We should be expecting higher standards for them, not lower.

When did you last hear of pupils dying in a school fire?

I sometimes despair.

[Midland Retty]

Why so Stevo?

[Steven N]

Hi Retty
Ok there haven’t been fatalities in schools in the UK thankfully, from fire. However schools regularly suffer from fire. Arson is a huge problem within them.  I agree with Chris, we should expect the highest & safest standards within them. Also I have seen many times the effect of a school fire yes everyone got out or it was out of hours, coursework destroyed, portfolios of work gone for ever & hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage caused.
To then hear the argument that when did you last hear of a child dying in a school fire strikes me as at least flippant & at worst willfully ignorant of the special fire problems schools suffer from.
I’d love to hear of a parent who would willingly send there child to a school that was deemed to be unsafe in the event of a fire & I certainly wouldn’t want to be the person stood in a coroners court explaining why I allowed a relaxation from the guidance in place on schools.