b'School Safety Thoughts from The Center for Education SafetyBy Center for Education Safety (CES) | Missouri School Boards AssociationA t Missouri School BoardsMost school fires are intentionally set Associations Center forand two of the most frequent locations Education Safety, we areare bathrooms and locker rooms. excited to begin contributing toKitchens are also an obvious source. MSPMAs quarterly magazine.If we know the common locations, Our associations have a history of solidevaluate the potential for fires in collaboration due to the interplay ofthose common areas. What are the our work. In this article, we decidednearby fuel sources? Do you need to to start with some history. A trend wechange trash can locations, trash can notice in school safety is that history isstyle, etc.? And what is your plan if a often forgotten. All of us are busy withgas leak is detected? Who else knows emerging trends and priorities, but somewhere the shutoffs, pilots, and other threats persist. ignition sources are located? We suggest Although school safety demands anmeetings with all relevant community all-hazards approach, we often focusstakeholders accompanied by simple on violence prevention and response.tabletop exercises. A few minutes of Although necessary, we must alsocollaboration can prevent a disaster. As remember the other hazards. Activealways, please reach out to us for any shooter trainers often cite that noquestions or safety needs.student has been killed in a school fire since the 1950s. However, it took somea spark from a piece of shop equipment.Referencessignificant events to instill change. TheAlmost 300 students and teachers diedCampbell, R. (2020, September 1). Structure Fires in Schools. NFPA.ORG. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from 1958 fire at Our Lady of the Angelsin the blast. Natural gas was odorless,file:///C:/Users/gmoore/Downloads/osSchools.pdfoccurred in Chicago. A fire started inbut this event helped change our abilityKaty, V. (2007, March 1). Oh, My God! Its Our Children!. a basement trash bin and fuel sources,to detect since the sulfur scent wasTexasMonthly.com. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20220323234222/https://www.such as floor wax and tar paper weresubsequently added. texasmonthly.com/articles/oh-my-god-its-our-children/thought to have elevated the level ofAlthough these tragedies occurredT. T. (2023, December 1). On This Day In History: thick smoke. Also contributing to theseveral decades ago, our safeguardsRemembering the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire outcome, the building was built priorand codes do not negate the need foron its 65th Anniversary. TERPconsulting. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://terpconsulting.to certain safety codes and was notvigilance and training. School fires stillcom/on-this-day-in-history-remembering-the-required to meet standards. Tragically,occur, as do gas leaks. NFPA conductsour-lady-of-the-angels-school-fire-on-its-65th-anniversary/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThere%20are%2092 students and three nuns died in theresearch on school fires and there areno%20new%20lessons,Association%20(NFPA)%20fire. Although new codes for schoolmany lessons we can put into practice.president%20then.buildings were initiated, the president of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) said, There are no new lessons to be learned from this fire; only old lessons that tragically went unheeded.Looking back a couple decades further, we can find, arguably, the worst school disaster in the United States. In 1937, the New London High School in Texas was destroyed by a natural gas leak ignited by UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITYJune 12: FBI School Safety Initiative in LadueContact Glen Moore to set up training for site surveys, incident command, reunification, threat assessment, rescue task force, or any other school safety needs.8|SCHOOL PLANT MANAGER MAGAZINE|SPRING 2025'