Digital Extra: The Station Fire

The state's new fire code limits the posting of school papers on the walls of classrooms, and some legislators say it's time for some common sense.

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 3, 2005

BY LINDA BORG
Journal Staff Writer

Last year, teachers complained bitterly when they were told that tough new fire-safety rules required them to strip their walls of artwork and instructional materials.

They said the new regulations were too restrictive and asked that they be lifted.

Those pleas have apparently been heard.

Two state legislators, Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown, and Rep. Al Gemma, D-Warwick, have submitted companion bills that would remove the language that limits the display of artwork on classroom walls.

"It's ridiculous," Gemma said yesterday. "They are trying to overcompensate for that tragic fire [at The Station nightclub in West Warwick] by doing some stupid things."

According to the fire code that took effect about a year ago, only 20 percent of the total wall area in a classroom without sprinklers can be covered with student work or other materials. With sprinklers, 50 percent of the walls can be covered.

Last fall, teachers who had painstakingly decorated their classrooms during the summer returned to school to be told that they had to tear most of it down.

Teachers have argued that the code was needlessly restrictive and interfered with the time-honored practice of displaying student work. And the new regulations have forced already overworked principals and superintendents to become paper-code enforcers.

"It's absurd," a Portsmouth guidance counselor told The Journal last fall. "We're not setting off fireworks in our building."

The fire-safety code was revised after the February 2003 fire at The Station, which killed 100 people and injured more than 200.

At least one principal, Stephen Ponte of Forest Avenue School in Middletown, is thankful that the restrictions may be lifted. The fire code continues to be a point of contention in his school, Ponte said.

"I'm the paper sheriff," he said. "I went into two classrooms [on Tuesday] and said, 'You better take something down.' There's still a lot of confusion. It's a daily discussion in my school."

East Greenwich Schools Supt. Michael Jolin is also pleased that the language relating to schools might be removed from the code. The regulations, he said, strike at the heart of what good teachers do: create language-rich environments where examples of good student work abound.

Some teachers have tried to subvert the law by putting the materials back up after the fire marshal ordered that they take them down. Others have come up with creative ways to hang the materials. Still others have gone through the trouble of taking the material down after each project is over.

"It seems like a sensible thing to me," Jolin said of the legislation. "I know the teachers will be happy. Having a stimulating environment is important to good instruction."

At a hearing last week before the House Corporations Committee, state Fire Marshal Irving J. Owens testified that it is dangerous for schools to cover classroom walls with paper. But Gemma said his statements were not convincing.

"I asked him, 'How many kids have died in elementary schools?' " Gemma said. "He said, 'I don't know.' "

Owens did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Gemma said the hearing was continued to give Owens more time to research whether these materials have ever caused a fire in a school building.

Sosnowski decided to submit her bill after listening to the complaints of teachers and school committee members from South County, who said lifting the restrictions was near the top of their legislative agenda.

"We heard from so many people who have been affected by the new fire code: small businesses, bed and breakfasts, schools," she said. "But this one in particular jumped out at me."

According to Sosnowski, schools regularly conduct fire drills, students are closely monitored, and the vast majority of the buildings are made from brick or concrete.

"This isn't needed," Sosnowski said. "This is the right thing to do."