How in the world can you debate installing CO detectors when children almost died? [View all]

[mfcorey1]

Could Georgia become the third state to mandate carbon monoxide detectors in schools?


The carbon monoxide scare that sent more than 30 students from Atlanta’s Finch Elementary School to the hospital ended without serious casualties. But the incident had some officials on Tuesday echoing the words of upset parents — they ought to put detection devices in schools — while others worried about the cost.
Carbon monoxide detectors have been mandatory in some types of new residential construction in Georgia for several years, but devices that can sense the colorless and odorless yet lethal gas are not required in the buildings where kids spend most of their days.
“I have three in my home,” said Latasha Martin, who has four children at Finch. “Why should you have none in the school?”
It’s a well-timed question, with Georgia’s next legislative session set to begin in a month.
The students, plus 10 adults, were taken to hospitals Monday after several felt faint, complaining of nausea. Students from Finch Elementary will be attending classes at Kennedy Middle School again Wednesday. Atlanta fire department officials said the repairs to the school’s boiler must be made and certified before the building can reopen. Monday’s measurements found levels of carbon monoxide in the school’s boiler room that exceeded the safety threshold by a factor of 30.
“If somebody had stayed in there for a few minutes without a breathing apparatus, they’d have been a goner,” said state Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph T. Hudgens. His office regulates safety in school buildings, and he said lawmakers ought to consider requiring carbon monoxide detectors in schools, as well as nursing homes and day-care facilities.
“I think it’s something that the legislature needs to take a good hard look at,” Hudgens said.
For some, though, cost is a concern.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/could-georgia-become-the-third-state-to-mandate-ca/nTMyL/