A tragic fire at a private school in Jeddah, Saturday claimed the lives of two female teachers and left 46 girls injured. The media is full of human interest stories related to the tragedy, especially the heroic story of the teacher who lost her life in the blaze after courageously saving the lives of her entire kindergarten class. Although public interest in such stories may soon wane, the media must keep the spotlight turned onto the cause of the fire and the extent to which fire safety measures are often inadequate in our public and private schools. The Director General of Civil Defense said that the emergency exits at the school where the tragedy occurred were not fully used to evacuate the female teachers and students. He added that the use of such exits, fire drills and other safety training to deal with fires or other disasters should be a priority in all schools. The girls on Saturday apparently panicked when Civil Defense crew members attempted to rescue them by helicopter, indicating a lack of safety drills and education. Apart from the preparedness of students and teaching staff to respond to the blaze, an investigation must reveal how the fire started. Many of the city's private schools are housed in old buildings with out-of-date wiring systems. Private schools are set up to make a profit for their owners and unfortunately many of those who run such schools think more about earning money than about providing their schools with the latest safety measures. This is why it is the job of the authorities to certify that every building used as a school is fully equipped with safety devices and that the building itself meets all the Civil Defense fire safety regulations. This means that all schools must be inspected by fire safety experts on a regular basis. Strict safety standards should be established for private schools and the schools should not be granted a license unless they comply with all regulations. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, has ordered an investigation into Saturday's fire. Eventually we will most likely learn that the fire started with a faulty wire in the school's basement. But this should not be the end of the matter. Saturday's tragedy should be a wake-up call for all of us. School buildings must all be carefully inspected and fire drills and safety education must be conducted in each school. Parents send their young sons and daughters to private and public schools all over the city. They should be able to rest assured that their children are studying in a safe environment. __
