Practical Research for Education, 39, May 2008, pp. 57–62 (reprinted with permission)
Fires in schools can be emotionally devastating for students and staff and highly disruptive to school functioning and student learning. This small-scale British study looks at the impacts of school fires and the lessons to be learnt.
A burning issue
What is the impact of school fires?
DAVID TEEMAN, PAULINE WADE, SARAH GOLDEN and ALISON LAWSON
KEY POINTS
•&&The ongoing emotional effect on staff, students and communities was one of the main impacts of school fires.
•&&The economic impact, both directly and indirectly, was also considerable.
•&&Students’ learning was negatively affected through disruption of classes, loss of facilities and loss of their own work.
•&&As well as fire prevention, schools need a plan to recover quickly and minimise disruption to students’ learning.
•&&For staff, focusing on student needs and dealing with the practical tasks needed to get the school running again were a good way to cope.
A small-scale British study in 2007 examined the wide-ranging impact of school fires. David Teeman, Pauline Wade, Sarah Golden and Alison Lawson report on the results and their implications for schools and communities.
The study explored the impacts of school fires on schools (staff, pupils, parents and infrastructure) and on the wider community. Despite a downward trend in the number of school fires (malicious and accidental), there remain a substantial number of fires in schools each year. Fires have a significant impact on the social and emotional experiences of pupils, staff and the wider community and on teaching and learning in the affected schools.
We conducted a desk review of mainly qualitative data and case-study visits to four schools, all of whom had suffered fires in recent years. The focus of the study was to provide information about key issues, such as:
•&&What are the economic impacts of school fires for schools and the wider community, including the direct and indirect costs?
•&&What are the educational impacts of school fires for children and young people?
•&&What are the social impacts of school fires for schools and the wider community?
•&&What are the emotional effects of school fires for staff and pupils?
•&&What factors appear to be associated with the impact of school fires?
•&&What are the key factors that school staff, local authority (LA) staff and fire officers take into consideration when examining fire prevention measures and mechanisms for minimising the impact of a fire in a school?
The study was undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) on behalf of the Local Government Association (LGA) and British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA).
Key issues about school fires
The following issues were uncovered in the research.
•&&At the time, the direct costs of school fires were £67 million per annum, while indirect financial costs were estimated to put the overall bill closer to £115 million, and maybe more.
•&&About 43 per cent of schools had experienced at least one fire in the past four years.
•&&It can be expected that about 90,000 pupils’ education will be affected by fire each year.
•&&School fires were a source of significant emotional distress to those affected.
•&&The indirect costs of school fires will become more acute as the extended schools agenda and implementation gather pace.
It was clear from the research that fires had a considerable economic impact both directly for schools and local authorities, and indirectly in terms of costs for parents and staff and for community groups who had to use alternative, sometimes more expensive, facilities. They also had a detrimental effect on pupils’ education through disruption caused by loss of facilities and consequent use of temporary facilities. Pupils may also be affected by loss of teaching and learning resources and the loss of their own work.
The research showed, too, that fires were emotionally distressing for staff, pupils and the wider community due to shock at the time of the fire, the loss of personal possessions and the damage to, or loss of, a familiar school building. There was also an impact on the social life of the school through limiting or preventing extra-curricular activities and access to play areas and negatively affecting catering arrangements.
The full details of the research, including the case studies, are available in a free downloadable report (Wade et al., 2007).
Case studies – background information
As part of the research, we conducted four case studies with schools that had experienced fires. Three of the four fires were caused accidentally, while the deliberate fire had occurred at a weekend. In two of the schools, although damage was extensive, it was confined to certain areas of the school, which enabled pupils to be brought back on site quickly (within two weeks in one school and at the normal beginning of term in the other). The other schools were so badly damaged that alternative accommodation was needed long-term. One school re-opened in September 2006 after a fire in 2004, and the other has never returned to its original site, following a fire in 2004.
Interviewees in all the case-study schools emphasised the importance of morale-building immediately after a serious fire. They had achieved this not only by acknowledging loss, but also by looking to the future and ensuring that the whole school was kept together if a long-term accommodation move was necessary. Community support and sympathy also played a significant role in boosting morale in the affected schools, and practical support from the local authority was valued by schools.
The school interviewees also reported that adaptability on the part of pupils and flexibility and good morale amongst staff had contributed to dealing effectively with the crisis, despite the substantial impact of the fire.
Several fire officers expressed concern about an increase in the number of school fires occurring during school time, with the potential to cause casualties among the school population. The fire officer interviewed at one school said that it was the effectiveness of well-rehearsed evacuation procedures ‘that saved lives by getting everyone out so quickly’.
Impact of fires on case-study schools
The immediate and longer term impact of fires on schools was explored in the case studies, and the interviewees described the effect of the crisis on their schools and on their local communities.
Impact on teaching and learning
Senior leaders and staff did their best to ensure continuity in teaching and learning, and to minimise the disruption, but the schools had experienced some negative impact on teaching and learning and, consequently, on assessment outcomes. Although the schools had prioritised the minimising of disruption for pupils who were in an assessment year (year 6 and year 11, for example), there had still been a negative impact on assessment outcomes for these year groups, and it is likely that the pupils in other year groups were also affected.
Loss of facilities and the use of temporary accommodation, together with loss of teaching and learning resources and completed school work, were the main outcomes of the fire that impacted directly on teaching and learning in all four schools. Under these difficult circumstances, the hard work of teachers who improvised, compromised and sought alternatives was instrumental in maintaining teaching and learning provision.
Box 1 Case study – Managing the emotional impact
One school had been in the particularly stressful situation of having a fire while pupils were on site. Although everyone was safely evacuated, the experience of seeing the fire take hold, with ‘flames shooting through the roof’, was said to have been profoundly shocking. Pupils were escorted from the site and were able to leave for home, but those interviewed still remembered ‘looking back at the school and seeing it burning’.
The emotional effect of the fire, which had destroyed a large part of the school, was evident when the case-study visit took place, nearly three years later. Pupils spoke of being worried generally about fires occurring, both at school and in their homes and of their ‘hearts stopping’ when the fire alarm went off for a practice. They also regretted the loss of personal property, such as coats and bags, as well as the work that they had to repeat. Some commented that not knowing what had happened to other pupils was a concern, because they had left the site before they had seen others were safe, and they had then been at home for six weeks.
For the staff too, memories were still vivid and the knowledge that the school would never return to its original site compounded the sense of loss. The staff had found that the best way of dealing with the aftermath of the fire was to immerse themselves in all the practical tasks that were necessary, such as making inventories of lost equipment and making sense of the documentation that was retrieved. Once an alternative site had been found, there was also plenty to do to make it ready for the pupils when they were allowed back, and activities such as cleaning and ordering resources had a calming effect.
When the pupils returned, staff were able to concentrate on their welfare and progress, and, as the assistant headteacher explained, making this the priority helped staff deal with their own feelings. ‘Lots of work on the fire’ had a therapeutic effect both for pupils and staff, and everyone was encouraged to talk about their experiences and concerns. Another member of staff said that pupils still talked about the fire now, although less frequently than they used to.
The huge impact of this fire on both pupils and staff was unlikely to fade away for many years, but as was the case with other schools, ‘putting the pupils first’ and providing a supportive environment was seen as the best way of coping.
Impact on the wider community
The wider communities in the four case-study schools were considerably affected by the school fires, especially for those groups who used the schools’ facilities. Local communities also reported disruption and a sense of loss. Schools received support from their local communities through fundraising, provision of resources and the support of school governors.
Longer-term impact
The emotional impact of the fire on staff, pupils and the local community was one of the main impacts of the fire and was still felt years later. School staff had focused on maintaining provision and on supporting pupils by including work on the fire in lessons and through special PSHE provision. The case study in Box 1 demonstrates the huge emotional impact of the experience of fire.
Fire prevention in the case-study schools
We asked interviewees in the case-study schools about their approach to fire prevention, both in terms of what they were doing before they experienced a serious fire, and what they did afterwards.
What school staff said
School staff said they had been satisfied with the information and guidance they had received on fire safety and precautions, but three of the four had realised that they needed a more comprehensive incident recovery plan, as this would have saved time and extra work after the fires.
Interviewees in schools that had suffered major fires said they were much more aware of fire safety issues now, such as not blocking fire escapes or hiding extinguishers and knowing exactly who was in the building. They also greatly valued the contacts they had with the fire service, especially visits and talks by fire officers, training in fire safety and fire risk assessments and audits. Staff in case-study schools warned against complacency.
What fire officers and LA staff said
Fire and local authority officers thought that all schools took fire safety seriously, but for some it was a lower priority because of other pressures. Fire officers said that a serious fire in a school often acted as ‘a wake-up call’ to other schools in the area.
Interviewees in schools and local authorities tended to see good security measures as the first line of defence against fire, because most fires are started deliberately. As three of the case-studies showed, however, this was no help when fires started accidentally and spread quickly.
Sprinkler systems had strong support from fire officers, pupils, parents, community representatives and many school staff. Some school staff were less enthusiastic and local authority officers generally had more reservations about them. Fire officers thought that opposition to sprinkler systems was based mainly on concerns about costs and misunderstanding of how they worked. This was confirmed to some extent by interviews with school staff and local authority officers, who expressed concerns about expense, accidental operation of sprinklers, water damage and electrical fires.
However, some fire officers were optimistic that opinion was changing on the use of sprinklers, especially with regard to their use in new buildings, where the ‘economic sense’ argument was being won. Some local authority interviewees confirmed that systems were now being installed more widely because of insurance company pressure and a risk assessment procedure. Two of the four case-study schools had sprinklers installed after rebuilding – in one school this was said to be largely because of pressure from parents and the local community.
Implications for other schools – sharing information
Schools that experienced a fire had heightened awareness of the importance and value of fire prevention and management procedures. In addition, they had learned from experience the value of contingencies such as storing key files and documents at a secure off-site location. It would be useful for schools that have experienced fires to share the strategies that they considered most effective, with other schools.
The emotional impact of the fires on staff, pupils and the wider community were considerable and ongoing. Again, schools with experience could usefully share effective practice in supporting individuals through this distressing experience.
Opportunities for addressing any misconceptions about the disadvantages of sprinklers could be further explored. Schools that have sprinklers could share information with other schools that may have concerns about the perceived risks of extensive water damage or vandalism.
Final challenges
We identified two key challenges.
•&&There is a need to persuade all stakeholders of the importance of addressing the issue of school fires through highlighting their impact, whether or not they have had or are likely to have a direct experience of fire.
•&&There is a similar need to ensure that school leaders and local authority decision makers are equipped with accurate and relevant guidance about fire prevention and management in order that they can make informed decisions.
Therefore, given the programme of school building through Building Schools for the Future, it is perhaps timely for campaigns such as Wise Up to Fire, and for the LGA to continue to ensure that decision makers in local authorities and schools are fully informed about the impact of fires in schools and the importance of preventive measures in minimising this impact. Sharing the experiences and lessons learned by schools that have been unfortunate enough to suffer a fire, can play a valuable part in this.
A lesson learned elsewhere
It is clear from the research that schools that experience fire often take a more proactive approach to future fire prevention, putting measures such as sprinklers in place. We are without doubt very fortunate in the UK that we can learn from schools’ experiences of fire without the additional tragedy of a lost life – so far. Because of this, it is difficult for us to imagine how horrific such a loss of life would be, but we need not look far for an example. A fire at the Our Lady of Angels school in Chicago in the 1950s killed 92 children and three members of staff (OLA Fire Memorial, n.d.). Following this tragedy, the danger was recognised and addressed by national statute, and sprinklers became compulsory in all US schools.
References
OLA Fire Memorial (n.d.). Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958 [online]. Available: http://www.olafire.com. [15 April, 2008].
Wade, P., Teeman, D., Golden, S., Wilson, R. and Woodley, V. (2007). The Impact of School Fires: a Study of the Wider Economic and Social Impacts on Schools and the Local Community (LGA Research Report 3/07). Slough: NFER.
Further reading
Fraser-Mitchell, J. (2007). New Guidance on Fire Safety in Schools: BB100 and Sprinklers. London: DfES [online]. Available: http://www.pillar.saqnet.co.uk/AMPRegionalMeetings/June07/BRE%20Presentation%20June%2007%20(version%202)_files/frame.htm [15 April, 2008].
National Bursars Association (2006). Why Install Sprinklers in Schools? A Cost Benefit Analysis [online]. Available: http://www.nba.org.uk/documents/wswis.doc [15 April, 2008].
National Fire Sprinkler Network (2005). Fire Sprinklers Save Schools [online]. Available: http://www.wiseuptofire.org/schools/facts/pdf/7_nfsn-a5-sprinklerleaflet.pdf [15 April, 2008].
National Fire Sprinkler Network (2005). Guidance on the Provision of Sprinklers in Schools [online]. Available: http://www.wiseuptofire.org/schools/facts/pdf/2_sprinklers-for-Schools_nfsndoc.pdf [15 April, 2008].
Teachernet (2007). Fire Safety for Schools [online]. Available: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/schoolbuildings/stat/firesafetyforschools [15 April, 2008].
Zurich Municipal (2007). School Fire and Security Guidance [online]. Available: http://www.zurich.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D2A2B009-71BB-4653-848C-FAE101CAF9ED/0/Fireandsecurityguidance.pdf [15 April, 2008].
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DAVID TEEMAN is a senior research officer at NFER. His research interests lie mainly in disaffection, vulnerability, school improvement, workforce remodelling and health.
EMAIL: d.teeman@nfer.ac.uk
PAULINE WADE is a senior research officer at NFER. Her research interests include 14-19 education, citizenship education, school improvement and research methods.
SARAH GOLDEN is a senior research officer at NFER. Her research interests include mentoring, vocational learning, work-based route and social inclusion projects.
ALISON LAWSON is the editor of Practical Research for Education. Her main research interests are in organisation design and behaviour, and vocational education.