It has come to my attention that the school board of School District 57 has noted that the current fire exit doors that lead immediately to the outside areas from each classroom in College Heights elementary are in need of upgrading.
However, rather than take the obvious course of upgrading such doors for the sake of the safety of the schoolchildren in each classroom, the school board has determined that money could be saved by replacing said doors with windows. Though this is within the B.C. Fire Code regulations based on single room capacity, it clearly endangers the health and well-being of a classroom full of children. Citizens of Prince George must recall the Highglen Montessori fire. It can happen.
One can imagine the horror of a fire blocking the one exit or even the chaotic bottleneck that would develop after a fire alarm as small children crowded through the one doorway only to emerge into an even more crowded hallway.
Add in smoke and confusion, and the results could be catastrophic.
A simple fire exit door to the outside in each classroom keeps the children safe and prepared.
Surely the public will respond to this inane and dangerous bit of budget cutting and insist that the school board alter its plans for the sake of the safety of school children and personnel. The fire doors have stood guard successfully for many years, so we ask that the doors be kept and, moreover, be upgraded for the generations of children to come who will be attending College Heights elementary.
As far as I know, this issue seems related to only one school, but it is likely this overly zealous money-saving policy will soon apply to all schools in the district. This is a call to action to citizens and parents concerned about protecting their children, for surely this is not a situation in which budget savings should be an issue.
Gregory M. Nixon
Prince George
