European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 letters the stars and stripes Friday july 17,1987 army housing residents have three Way Protection from fire in january he bulletin Board in our stairwell was set on fire by a Grade schooler. Fortunately one of the neighbors saw and recognized the child and was Able to Alert a new neighbor who used his bus 1o beat out the fire. The maps were prompt in arriving and the child and his father were taken to the my station. This same child apparently had started another stairwell fire the week before. Recently two More Grade schooners started a fire in the basement of our stairwell. One of the residents spotted them and they were turned Over to the maps. Fortunately both times someone was on hand to make sure the fire did t spread. Our building has no fire escape and no fire extinguishers. One of the residents was informed by the maps that there is really no need for them because the fire department Here is very prompt. Somehow this does nothing to reassure me. All residents of the stairwell arc very concerned about this happening again. We try to keep our stairwell door locked but it a impossible to do so every minute. Even if ours is locked it is possible for people to enter through the other stairwell doors. We sincerely Hope a serious fire and perhaps death will not have to take place before something can be done about this problem. Susan Schwa Mary Dyan Abe carols Sillyman Brenda 0, Hawley Deborah w. Foster Heilbronn Germany editor s note John r. Balzir Deputy director of engineering and homing Heilbronn Mili tary Community replies your concern about the danger of lire in the Public or common areas of army family housing is under stood and appreciated. The answer thai you have received to Date Are in Complete and because of this cannot Lay your fears to rest. However this question has been asked before be cause virtually All army family housing apartment buildings in Germany Are identical and numerous lire prevention engineers and other experts have Given the situation serious the oort they have also made recommendation for various minor str Netuhal changes in the building and for the installation of took alarms in the apartments which have in implemented ii Reasing the safely of the residents offline facilities. First All structural components except the wooden table roof Frame of army family housing buildings Are very lire resistant. The foundation and basement Are made of Concrete Brick Cine no Block and steel. All floor slabs and the stairs Are made of reinforced Concrete and All Interior Walls Are made of Concrete Brick or Cement Block. All Wall finishes Are noncombustible plaster and paint tile or other fire resistant material. Floor coverings in the Public or common areas of the Stair Wells basements and attics Are Lemao Stone tile Concrete or other noncombustible material. The warm Waler Healing systems also increase fire safety because no air ducts Are available to conduct fire from one area to another. Finally All basement room doors apartment front doors and stairwell Doort Are designed to prevent the spread of a tire through them for at least 30 minute if kept cloned. Residential construction in the United state is Sel Dom As lire retardant As this except in some High Rise apartment building. This protective construction makes fire escape stairs or ladders unnecessary. Second the fire department will be at the building within five minutes of receiving an alarm. It is trained and equipped to quickly and safely evacuate residents through the windows of their apartments up to the sixth floor if the stairway is blocked for any reason. Third the safest place for residents to be in the event of an Active fire or dense smoke in the stairwell is in their apartment unless evacuated by the fire department. Residents should not attempt to exit if their apart ment front door is hot because fire might Flash in their face when they open the door. This will not happen unless residents have filled the stairwell with flammable materials furniture packages card Board boxes toys paper rugs shoes solvent Etc the stairwell could become filled with dense smoke because of a fire in the basement or lower level apart ment if the separating fire door has been left open or ajar or has failed for any reason. Residents should keep their apartment front door tightly closed and not attempt exit in this Stoa lion became they May be overcome by the smoke which could also contain toxic fumes. The apartment front door possibly augmented by wet towels Al the door kill Bottom Edge will keep smoke out of the apartment indefinitely. Fresh air should a available from the outside through one or More windows if needed. Windows and Alt Interior doors in the apartment should be Kepi closed to prevent the in read of the fire from a lower level unless the resident s is Are standing next to it. Finally cull through the attic and Down another Stair Well is a possibility. Fires occurring in stairwells basement hallways or other Public areas Are usually limited to a Small Bulle tin Board unless residents have filled the space with combustible material. Community fire inspectors conduct frequent fire safely inspections of the Public areas in army family housing apartment buildings in order to insure that this does not happen. Prompt correction of violations by residents is required. Residents can Best protect themselves by keeping their building and All basement room and apartment front doors securely locked at ill times and by keeping the Public areas of their building free of flammable material. Any structural or other deficiency that prevent ibis should be promptly reported to work reception at the servicing Deh in Heilbronn at Heilbronn military 426- 2590 or Hellblom civilian 582590. Engineer emergencies la Elf Ope May be reported in any Community on the ets phone system by dealing military us. Finally All fires should be promptly reported by dealing military 117 when serviced by the ets phone system or German civilian 112. Lart ment build. Rtt by the fire resistant constriction of the buildings secondly by the prompt response of the fire department and finally by the residents keeping their Public areas free of flammable materials and secured. I Hope that ibis response is Complete and fully addresses All of your concerns. Fire is always dangerous hut positive actions to minimize these dangers have been taken and will continue. Residents of army family housing apart Mei Ings Are thus protected in three ways first b writer favors mandatory aids testing opposes drug testing i would like to address a topic that should concern most americans mandatory Aid testing. I am upset with our government i believe that most americans would like to have a mandatory lest to find out who has the aids virus. The government has made drug tests mandatory for most jobs now including the military yet it refuses to have mandatory aids testing for critical Job positions such As doctors and dentists because it would infringe on people s constitutional rights. The use of aids testing is to save people s lives. Drug urinalysis has not been proven to save lives. It punishes the drug user by the downgrading or loss of his Job or convicting him of 3 criminal offence. I do not use drugs nor do i condone them. I am not Igno rant but to my knowledge people who use drugs Don t necessarily kill or destroy themselves with the drug. I believe that drugs Are a serious problem in Ameri Ca and the world. Cut aids is in a whole different league. It kills you will not have a second Chance nor any rehabilitating chances. Someone cannot kill another person a Day week or month after getting High because of the drug with aids on the other hand a person can kill others by being negligent of the disease. Nations can be threatened by injecting its people with the aids virus. I May end up having aids some Day but 1 would like to know if and when i do contract the virus. 1 would fee Safe knowing that i won t be risking some one else s life. If someone else has the virus 1 Don t want to worry whether or not i will suffer from a relationship with this individual. Aids testing does not do the same thing As urinalysis. I feel urinalysis testing for drugs violates the constitutional rights of americans. My reasoning for this is what you do in your personal life is your business. I Don t believe you should be scrutinized for what comes up in a test. The Public and government will acknowledge the different ways to contract aids but there is Only one Way to come up positive on urinalysis. You arc guilty without question. I know there Are More ways to come up positive on urinalysis. Many doctors will Tell you that advil and other commonly used medicines will show on the test. The urinalysis docs Little but try to incriminate those who come up positive. Sure there Are the agencies which want to help the user but you can lose your Job or be unjustly set Back in your career aids testing is trying to help the whole world. The doctors can get a Chance at controlling the disease if they know what they Are up against. Right now they Are All guessing Al Bow Many people Are infected and How fast the disease Ujj spreading. If they had this information it could protect those who Don t have the Dis ease and those Are not bom yet. This subject is not a constitutional question in is a humanitarian subject. I think the government should step Back and look at the whole world and think of the children who have nothing to say about this situation and How it will effect their world. Please someone inform this government and the rest of the world what a Are up against in order to protect those who Are not cd infected. Mark. J. Brucell Stuttgart Reader greatly dismayed by Shultz s comments on Rogers i was greatly dismayed to read of Secretary of state George Shutlz s com ments concerning the former supreme Allied commander Gen. Bernard Rog ers. Gen. Rogers has recently advocated along with Many other american and european leaders that the United states move More cautiously in negotiations with the soviets regarding the elimination of medium Range missiles in Europe he is concerned that current soviet conventional strength in Europe would leave nato vulnerable to a massive Warsaw pact conventional attack with out a credible nuclear deterrent. Rogers has also been quoted As saying that the Reagan administration is mov ing Loo rapidly to reach an agreement so that Reagan can leave office in Triumph rather than in controversy Hemming from the Iran Centra scandal. Gen. Rogers is Correct in both of his assertions. Nato is definitely More vulnerable to a soviet conventional attack with no medium Range nuclear deterrent unless the soviets will also agree to a reduction in their conventional forces to achieve a numerical balance with nato Rogers was also on the Mark in his Asser Tion that this initiative was based More on Domestic political considerations than on consideration of Allied Security Secretary Shutlz is quoted As saying Rogers was Way out of  and that his comments were obviously Ridick  Shulz should realize that Gen. Rogers was voicing concern based on his experience As the longest serving supreme Al lied commander and that Nis concern is for the Security of the United Stales and our european allies unlike Secretary Shutlz who obviously discounts such distinguished service in the interest of advancing the cause of a foundering lame Duck administration. Schuliz seemed to relish pulling Rogers Down adding after his rebuke Lei Gen. Rogers put that in h is pipe and smoke  at a Lime when americans in general and we serving in Europe in particular should be thanking Gen. Rogers for his eight years of exemplary service Secre tary of slate Sheftz has chosen to attack him with words More commonly re served for enemies. I think in is obvious that Shutlz could fit All of his class into the la toed Tiger on his rear end. Gen. Rogers thank you for your Many years of service. Secretary of slate Sulu put that in your pipe and smoke it sol. Jeffrey a. Simpson Wil Flecken Germany