15 April 2004
School policy protects lives
The Fire Service is defending its national agreement with the Ministry of Education that limits the use of school
facilities for sleepovers and requires appropriate levels of fire protection to ensure the facilities are safe.
Fire Service Fire Safety Director Jim Dance said he disagreed with an Oamaru school principal who criticised the new
agreement today as "bureaucracy gone mad".
Mr Dance said the level of risk of allowing large groups of children to sleep in school facilities that did not have
adequate levels of fire protection was not acceptable.
"People do not smell smoke when asleep and the Fire Service statistics demonstrate that a large number of fire
fatalities occur at night when people are sleeping.
"It is unfair to compare a classroom of alert children and teachers during the day, which has an approved and practised
evacuation scheme, with a night-time situation where it is dark and unfamiliar and children and adults are sleeping."
"We are not trying to spoil the adventure of a sleep-over, but we consider the risk too great unless adequate fire
protection is provided."
"The Ministry of Education has taken a responsible approach in ensuring children"s safety by signing up to this
agreement," Mr Dance said.
Ends