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Holy Names Appeals Fire Exit Ruling

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By MARK HOLAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

SOUTH TAMPA - Academy of the Holy Names is appealing the city fire marshal's ruling that its second-floor media center requires a third fire exit for the youngest students.

The $5 million Robert Healey Media Center opened in 2002, and students continue to use the facility. The private school, 3319 Bayshore Blvd., serves prekindergarten through 12th grade.

'If there were an immediate life threat the center would be closed,' said Capt. Bill Wade, spokesman for Tampa Fire Rescue. 'This is not an immediate life threat.'

Wade said three other schools have relocated students or will add another fire exit as the result of a new interpretation of state law requiring a separate fire escape for kindergarten and first-grade students.

In their April 6 opinion, state fire officials said those youngsters could be trampled by older children and adults trying to escape a fire above ground level.

'The additional stairway for the kindergarten and first-grade students must be dedicated to the space (media center, auditorium, lunchroom,) and be in addition to any other required egress stairways,' the opinion states.

The city approved building plans showing two fire exits for the media center in 2001. When construction was completed the following year, the city approved a certificate of occupancy for the media center, which also passed annual safety inspections from 2003 through 2005.

'We did everything according to what they told us,' said academy board member Bob Buckhorn, a former city councilman whose daughter is a first-grader at the school. 'We would be the first ones raising heck if we thought there was a problem.'

He said the two fire exits are nearly twice as wide as required by law.

During an October 2006 inspection, city Fire Marshal Todd Spear said the media center violated state code by not having a third exit. Spear asked state fire officials for their opinion when the school disagreed with his interpretation.

'Altering the media center to provide a third exit is not feasible,' academy attorney and school parent Scott A. McLaren wrote in an appeal to Mayor Pam Iorio. 'It would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and would render a large portion of the state of the art media center unusable ...'

Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.

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