HOMER — A follow-up inspection by the Division of State Fire Marshal at Homer Elementary on Thursday showed all 22 violations found during a Dec. 12 inspection had been satisfactorily corrected, according to Principal Penny Ziegler.
The violations included storage and egress issues, inspection reports, furniture and a rug which were not flame-retardant, the lack of a posted fire evacuation plan and emergency lighting issues.
The corrections required several days of work, according to Ziegler, which included the moving of two classrooms and a tutoring area. “All of the upholstered furniture and the rug are gone in the teacher’s lounge,” Ziegler reported.
Homer parent Scott Holder helped with the moving of all of the coat hooks that lined the walls of the hallways, which have now been installed in an upstairs coat room which replaced the tutoring area.
Ziegler said that she and her family, as well as the custodial staff, spent most of the holiday break at school doing the renovations. “Of the 12 days of break, I spent nine here at school,” said Ziegler.
“It was quite an undertaking. But it’s done, and that’s what’s important, the kids are safe.”
Next year, the principal feels that the school will have an easier time with fire inspections, now that the specific codes have been explained to school staff.
“The most important thing is, everybody’s safe and sound,” said Ziegler. “Everything’s been taken care of and we’re good to go.”
