FAST FACTS:
Scott.Noll@wreg.com
(Memphis 11/4/2009) They're intended to make sure your child is safe at school.
But WREG On Your Side Investigators have made a startling discovery, uncovering a broken promise at several Mid South schools.
By law, every school building in Tennessee is supposed to be inspected for fire dangers by the fire marshal once a school year.
But tonight, the man in charge of making sure that gets done, admits schools, housing thousands of students, have been forgotten.
"As parents, do we just not know this is happening?" asked Nancy Wiseman after learning what On Your Side Investigators uncovered.
She's upset, after learning the school her 8th grader attends, was one of the buildings fire marshals simply missed.
White Station Middle School went 25 months between state-required inspections.
in memphis, deputy chief ronald brown is in charge of making sure those inspections get done. "For me, as the chief marshal, it caused me great concern," admitted Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Brown.
In Memphis, it's Brown's job to make sure yearly inspections get done.
He admits, he had no idea the required yearly inspections had been missed until On Your Side Investigators started asking questions.
"We went back, did some research, pulled some records to make sure everything had been done," explained Brown. "We did find that out of some 280 schools, that we were out of date by a year on some 5 to 7, 8 schools."
According to city fire records, four school buildings were missed last school year.
On the list is Ridgeway High, Christian Brothers High School, White Station Middle, and Harding Academy.
City records show fire marshals missed inspections at Christ Methodist Day School and St. Dominic School for two solid school years.
While the buildings make up less than 3% of the schools in the city, they are home to more than 3,000-students each day.
- City records show annual school inspections skipped by fire marshals
- State law requires all schools to undergo safety inspections
- Chief fire marshal admits some buildings "slipped through the cracks"
Scott.Noll@wreg.com
(Memphis 11/4/2009) They're intended to make sure your child is safe at school.
But WREG On Your Side Investigators have made a startling discovery, uncovering a broken promise at several Mid South schools.
By law, every school building in Tennessee is supposed to be inspected for fire dangers by the fire marshal once a school year.
But tonight, the man in charge of making sure that gets done, admits schools, housing thousands of students, have been forgotten.
"As parents, do we just not know this is happening?" asked Nancy Wiseman after learning what On Your Side Investigators uncovered.
She's upset, after learning the school her 8th grader attends, was one of the buildings fire marshals simply missed.
White Station Middle School went 25 months between state-required inspections.
in memphis, deputy chief ronald brown is in charge of making sure those inspections get done. "For me, as the chief marshal, it caused me great concern," admitted Deputy Fire Chief Ronald Brown.
In Memphis, it's Brown's job to make sure yearly inspections get done.
He admits, he had no idea the required yearly inspections had been missed until On Your Side Investigators started asking questions.
"We went back, did some research, pulled some records to make sure everything had been done," explained Brown. "We did find that out of some 280 schools, that we were out of date by a year on some 5 to 7, 8 schools."
According to city fire records, four school buildings were missed last school year.
On the list is Ridgeway High, Christian Brothers High School, White Station Middle, and Harding Academy.
City records show fire marshals missed inspections at Christ Methodist Day School and St. Dominic School for two solid school years.
While the buildings make up less than 3% of the schools in the city, they are home to more than 3,000-students each day.
