AHSA - The first weeks of the school year have witnessed three fires at girls' schools in the Eastern Province, revealing continued shortcomings in safety-measures which had previously led to parents demanding training for teachers and pupils in how to deal with fire situations. The first fire, on the first day of the school year, involved the evacuation of 500 students, with a second occurring the following day at a girls' school in Sihat, near Al-Ahsa. The third incident, at a second-elementary girls' school in Qatif, occurred when a fire broke out in the building's electricity unit, resulting in the evacuation of 400 pupils. Mansour Al-Dousari, spokesman for the Civil Defense in the Eastern Province, said he expected fires to continue because of the absence of necessary safety measures in the schools. Reports show that old wiring that is prone to short-circuiting is common, while Al-Dousari further noted that some schools still only have one exit point in their buildings. Al-Dousari said the authorities were in contact with the education authorities but that some recommendations had not yet been acted upon concerning corrugated iron roofing and fencing, electricity wiring standards, obstructions at exit points, as well as a lack of fire exits. Hamid Al-Juaid, Director of Civil Defense in the Eastern Province, said he held the Girls' Education Department in Al-Ahsa responsible for the laxity in safety standards. “Safety measures need to be implemented immediately to prevent further incidents,” he said. Muhammad Al-Mulhim, Director of Girls' Education Department in Al-Ahsa, said many measures had been implemented during the holiday period at great expense, including the transfer of some schools to new buildings, and that this year would see an improvement in the safety record. School staff and pupils in the region frequently complain of school buildings, which are often found to be in decrepit condition and on the verge of collapse. The frequent number of fires has been mostly attributed to circuit overloads and short-circuits. – Okaz __
