Law to help douse odds of school bus fires

Beginning in 2014, all Clark County School District buses must meet new safety standards in accordance with a state law passed last summer.

The law requires that seats be made of less flammable materials than the traditional foam padding and that plastic components in the engine compartment are less combustible. Those components cannot burn for more than 10 seconds and cannot drip flaming particles on the engine.

If a fire does ignite on a bus, these new regulations are expected to make the fire progress slower, giving passengers more time to escape.

There are more than 2,200 public transit or school bus fires annually, or six per day, according to a 2006 study by the National Fire Protection Association. The study did not separate school bus fires from city bus or motor coach fires. These fires cause an annual average of three deaths and 30 injuries.

The Citizens for Fire Safety Institute, a California-based national fire safety advocacy group, supported the law , which raises standards that had not been updated since the 1960s.

"Regardless of those statistics," said CF SI spokeswoman Lydia Pelosi, "we believe if you can prevent a fire, you should."

Nevada became the second state, after Maryland, to pass such a law .

In an ongoing effort to keep students safe, each of the more than 1,200 school district bus drivers undergoes weeklong safety training every summer at the transportation office near Interstate 15 and St. Rose Parkway.

The North Las Vegas Fire Department trained drivers in August on how to properly use a fire extinguisher and evacuation procedures to get kids out of the bus in an emergency. The fire department conducted live fire exercises and smoke drills on a pair of buses.

"They get an idea of the conditions they might face," said Capt. Frank Sanchez. "It's important to get (kids) out of the bus in under a minute."

The department also trained the hundreds of assistants who accompany bus drivers for special education students.

Sanchez said the department is in talks with the school district about helping next year and would like to implement more safety programs.

The most recent school bus fire happened Sept. 14 near Canyon Springs High School, 350 E. Alexander Road in North Las Vegas. The fire originated in the engine compartment because of a mechanical failure, Sanchez said.

The last fire before that happened in May 2009, according to the school district.

In both cases, no students were on board and there were no injuries.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.