RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond Public Schools (RPS) officials are celebrating a major achievement heading into the new school year.
The school district recently announced that every one of its buildings has passed their fire inspections ahead of the first day of school.
“It’s a huge step in the right direction,” William Spindle, Deputy Fire Marshall for the City of Richmond, told 8News. “We have not been able to get here before, and that’s just through a whole bit of different reasons, but for right now, it’s really great feeling having to start the school year off right.”
Spindle said that, at the end of last school year, fire officials went and evaluated safety equipment, emergency exits, fire alarms and sprinkler systems at each school. They searched top to bottom for any possible violations from May 21 through July 18.
“That would be anything from exit signs to over piles of storage to light fixtures, electrical hazards, just anything that would be a danger to the students and or any firefighters who may be engaged in firefighter activities,” Spindle said.