The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Schools given fire safety equipment

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Monday, Feb 04, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Schools given fire safety equipment

Staff Reporter

The proposal presented in 2007-08 budget

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan.

FOR SAFETY: Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin and Mayor M. Subramanian hand over fire safety equipment — a dry powder extinguisher and a galvanised iron bucket — to Corporation school representatives at Chintadripet on Sunday. Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni is in the picture.

CHENNAI: Corporation schools in the city were given fire extinguishers and iron buckets on Sunday by Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin in Chintadripet.

The proposal to provide fire safety equipment to Corporation schools was presented in the budget for 2007-08.

Provision of fire safety equipment to schools was one of the recommendations that followed the inquiry into the deadly fire that claimed over 90 lives in a Kumbakonam school close to four years ago.

A total of 850 pieces of fire extinguishing equipment have been distributed to over 300 Corporation schools in the city. Some of the dry powder extinguishers and galvanised iron buckets were given to headmistresses at the event.

A Corporation official said that the company that had manufactured the extinguisher would demonstrate usage when the equipment is installed in schools. Fire safety drills are yet to be conducted for schools. Since it would take the Fire Department officials more than 300 working days to cover as many schools, it is not feasible to hold drills at each school, the official said. The teachers might be given ‘tips’ on fire safety through joint meetings at the zonal level, the official added.

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