Arizona Auditor General report reveals fire inspection problem at state and county school buildings

PHOENIX - A new report from Arizona's Auditor General's Office has some findings that parents could deem as concerning.

According to the report, the state's Fire Marshal's Office is not regularly inspecting schools for fire safety.

The report also found that the Fire Marshal's Office has not established a fire safety inspection program for state and county school buildings, despite four separate audits recommending it dating back to 1988.

Fire expert speaks out

Jim Tomes knows fire prevention. At Telgian in Phoenix, they test out equipment, from alarms to sprinklers, in their lab.

"We specialize, basically, in the risk," said Tomes. "The physical risk to buildings and the people in them."

Tomes says fire inspections are vital.

"Most failures are not due to design," said Tomes. "Most failures are the equipment wasn't maintained, or we started doing something in the building that was not safe."

Tomes said it's up to who runs the building to make sure the equipment is maintained.

"It's the role of the fire authorities to ensure that it is being done," said Tomes.

According to the Auditor General's findings, the office doesn't have a complete inventory of the buildings it's required to inspect. The audit also says inspections issues at Arizona schools increase the risk of fire-related deaths, injuries, and property damage, as inspections can find all sorts of violations, from fire protection system issues to problems with fire extinguishers.

An example of fire hazard in a classroom can be paper art, as they, if hung from a ceiling, can block a sprinkler, and be a fire hazard.

In fact, there are many ways a sprinkler can fail that an inspection can catch.

"A little bit of dust of paint on the fusable link, and it may never open," said Tomes.

What are officials saying about the report?

In the report, officials with the Fire Marshal's Office stated that they're hiring a third party to keep track of inspections now, including yearly inspections.

In a separate statement, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne wrote:

"School safety is one of my highest priorities and that obviously incudes ensuring school campuses receive fire safety inspections. I am encouraged that the Fire Marshall’s Office has agreed to the findings of the Auditor General’s report and will implement the safety inspection plan."