School bus fire shows aging fleet's problems
Similar fires possible on about one-third of state-owned buses
Bethany Stephenson
Whitesville Rural Fire Department
A school bus taking students to the first day of class at the new Cane Bay High School caught fire Monday morning on U.S. Highway 176. Authorities say the fire originated in the rear engine. No one was hurt and no tardies were issued.
A fire broke out on a school bus carrying about 25 Berkeley County students to the first day of classes Monday. That could happen at any time on about one-third of the state's school bus fleet.
No one was injured when the bus carrying students to the newly opened Cane Bay High School caught fire about 6:30 a.m., but the incident illustrates the dangerous unpredictably of the state's 5,700-bus fleet, which is infamous for frequent breakdowns of 20-year-old hulks that have logged more than 300,000 miles.
State bus officials say the malfunction that likely sparked Monday's fire is a known potential problem on about 2,000 of the state's school buses, but they said they can't do anything to ensure it won't happen again.
The dangers and risk of fires associated with the state's school buses were highlighted last year in The Post and Courier's investigative series "School Bus Breakdown," which revealed the state's bus fleet to be the oldest, most polluting and least safe in the nation. Among the newspaper's findings was an alarming trend of bus fires, many of which involved the same year and model of the rear-engine
bus that caught fire Monday.
The newspaper's series prompted lawmakers last year to adopt a replacement program to flush old buses out of the fleet, but shrinking state revenues recently caused the General Assembly to substantially cut money for new buses.
Andrew Hirak, a guidance counselor at Cane Bay, saw firsthand what can happen when students are forced to ride on unreliable buses.
Hirak was driving behind the loaded bus in his Pontiac Grand-Am early Monday when he saw sparks shooting out from under the buses rear-mounted engine. "It lit something and it burst into flames," Hirak said.
Students, mostly freshmen and sophomores from the Sangaree and Carnes Crossroads areas, reported that they could feel the bus jerking and smelled smoke, school officials said.
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Click here to read The Post and Courier's 2007 series about South Carolina's oldest-in-the-nation school bus fleet and the problems associated with it.
Hirak honked his horn and flashed his lights, anything to alert the driver. The driver pulled over along U.S. Highway 176 and together they unloaded the students to the side of the road as the flames grew stronger. "Flames were coming up the outside to the top of the bus," Hirak said.
After students evacuated, flames shot out the back of the bus and consumed the rear of the passenger cabin. The entire fuselage filled with thick smoke before the Whitesville Rural Fire Department responded and doused the fire.
The accident snarled traffic, drew onlookers and news reporters on a day that school officials hoped would come off without a hitch. Instead, dozens of students already feeling first-day jitters endured the added anxiety of seeing their bus burn up and arrived to school late.
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The newspaper's 2007 analysis of state school bus maintenance records from 1996 to 2006 identified more than 100 fire-related incidents on state school buses, a rate three times higher than the state's own count.
One model of school bus, 1995 Thomas Built, accounted for a majority of the more serious fires. That's significant because the same model of bus accounts for more than one-third of the entire state fleet.
After several 1995 buses caught fire in incidents around the state in 2006, education officials ordered a recall to check for wiring problems found to have sparked some of the fires.
Don Tudor, transportation director for the state Department of Education, said he doesn't expect to order another recall for the 1995 buses even though the state is aware of the latest potential problem involving engine turbo injectors. A turbo, or turbocharger, compresses air on a diesel engine and increases its power.
Once a turbo fails, it can crack and drip fuel or oil onto the bus' super-heated manifold, occasionally triggering a fire.
In the past 13 months, an estimated 136 turbos have failed on the state's 1995 and 1996 rear-engine buses; several caused fires, Tudor said. He said there is no way for mechanics to predict which ones will fail and that it's not feasible to replace every turbo or every engine.
The bus that burned Monday last had its turbo replaced in December 2003. The bus was last inspected by mechanics July 24.
Tudor stressed that turbo failures do not always cause fires and that no students have ever been killed or injured as a result of a fire-related incident on a state-owned bus.
Still, such accidents spotlight the decrepit condition of many state buses, said Rep. Bob Walker, R-Landrum, who successfully pushed for passage of a school bus replacement bill last year.
The first year under the new replacement cycle went according to plan, and the state brought 527 new buses into the fleet, allowing the retirement of buses that had been on the road since the mid-1980s. To stay on the 15-year cycle, the state needs to buy 380 buses each year at about $80,000 a pop.
This year, the Legislature earmarked $30 million for new buses, but in the ensuing budget crisis that was cut to $10.6 million. That will buy only 130 new buses, leaving the replacement cycle 103 buses short for the two-year span.
It's shortsighted to skimp on new buses because the old ones are less fuel-efficient and require more maintenance, Walker said. "We've got to continue replacing these buses. We tend to say we are going to do things and then find ways not to do them," he said
And it gets worse: Soaring fuel costs could force state officials to dip into this year's bus money in order to keep the existing ones gassed up, Tudor said.
Yet Tudor believes Monday's bus fire and problems with the aging fleet are unrelated, noting that the 1995 buses are within their 15-year recommended life span. The bus that caught fire had logged 191,902 miles.
But Berkeley Schools Superintendent Chester Floyd said, "This is clearly an indication that we still have a lot of work to do in this area on a statewide basis," he said. "There are buses on the road that all of us wish were retired."
Reach Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5724. Reach Andy Paras at 745-5891 or aparas@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 45 comment(s)
Posted by palmettoruckus on August 19, 2008 at 1:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
FIRST!
Posted by BobH1962 on August 19, 2008 at 1:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see and what was the reason that no new buses were purchased this year, OH I remember, cutting funds. So it is obvious (to me anyway) that our lawmakers feel that the safety of our children is NOT important. I bet if one of our lawmakers children was on that burning bus there would be a new fleet of buses ready the next day. Let's vote to cut their pay and buy new buses. Our children certainly deserve safer buses more than these overpaid politicians deserve a raise.
Posted by WhoCares on August 19, 2008 at 5:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Me thinks that if the majority of the problem revolves around the 1995, 1996 Thomas buses that those are the ones to replace first, rather than the (apparently) safer 1980s models. Just my (un)educated opinion ....
Posted by desspec on August 19, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
End busing (except where absolutely needed) and bring back neighborhood shcools.
Posted by oldglory on August 19, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see. These buses were last inspected on July 24. I wonder then why there was a bus with no 4-way flashers working. I'd think that pretty important too.
BTW, that photo of the rear of that bus in flames is absolutely horrifying and brings thoughts of 'what if'.
A bit off this particular article, but just how are the bus routes and pickups and deliveries and assignments handled? Many children were not picked up, nor delivered home due to lack of information. Why isn't this better administered? I know this is a difficult assignment, but I'd like to know how this is handled.
desspec, that's a good concept, but do you honestly think that will happen in SC? SC doesn't even make education a priority! Look at what happened to Head Start, something a few checks and balances would probably have prevented.
Posted by jca on August 19, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
gosh that pic is frightening. i am a parent of a bus rider not what i want to see.
the money has to be there somewhere for buses. the company my husband works for donates money for buses for repairs or new ones. this could have been prevented.
hopefully this is the only bus incident this year i highly doubt it though
Posted by MsPiggy on August 19, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So of course spending over a half a million dollars to fund a college of less than 10 people is WAY more important than the safety of our children.
Duh. Can't believe I couldn't see that.
Posted by BigSargeofSC on August 19, 2008 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"On the Bus Again" (to the tune of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again")
On the bus again.
I can't wait to be on the bus again.
Oh, my God, there's flames in the azz end!
I can't wait to get on the bus again.
Request anyone?
Seriouly, this fire is not so much age as much as it is poor maintenance practices. The body of this bus maybe Thomas, but the engine is most likely an International. There are two oil lines that feed the turbos, each one has a small gasket that seals the oil feed tube to the turbo. It is not hard to see if that gasket has gone out and oil is being forced out. The oil sprays everywhere, so when the fire does happen, there's plenty of fuel for the fire to burn.
Just food for thought...
Posted by USMCMWS on August 19, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe I am just missing the point but didn’t SC implement a lottery to assist in the education of our children? I know that the kids going to college need assistance but if Johnny can’t read then how can he make it to college. This money that should be used for the primary, middle and high schools is being sent to USC/CLEMSON and others (like they need any more money). If the state would use some of the BILLIONS generated by the lottery for those minor things like maintaining our schools, busses, and maybe paying the teachers what they deserve then maybe we might see some improvement in other areas of life.
If the children are our future then from where I sit it looks pretty bleak. 2/3rds of my kids have graduated and are out of the system. The last will not ride the bus if I have to take a bicycle to get her. We as a state need to step back and take a real hard look at our priorities; they seem a bit skewed. When the future is put on hold again to the detriment of our kids, how can we expect the future to be better?
Semper Fi
Posted by BerkeleyCo_Mom_of_3 on August 19, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cold Beer & Early...wonderful comments! You sum up a great deal that is running through my head. It is embarassing how "old boy network" the state legislature really is.
Luckily I can afford to drive my children to school, The buses may be a problem, but so are the maintenance standards, and let me just ask...have you seen some of the horrendous driving going on? The school districts can't afford to hire quality bus drivers...instead they are getting the muckity muck of what's in the job market..I remember the good old days of High School students driving the buses and doing a lot better job of it.
We aren't where we were in the 80's, but still managing to move backwards.
Posted by BerkeleyCo_Mom_of_3 on August 19, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
USMCMWS...the lottery assistance does not apply to public schools in South Carolina...in their infinite stupidity..the government of South Carolina only included colleges in that avenue of aid. With the state of the education system we have in SC, how do they expect these kids to make it to that level?
Posted by charlestonnative1963 on August 19, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
YOU ASKED FOR LOWER PROPERTY TAXES EVEN THOUGH SC'S IS LOW COMPARATIVELY. YOU ASKED FOR THE 1% SALES TAX RATHER THAN A PROPERTY TAX. TEACHING JOBS HAVE BEEN CUT. THERE ARE 33% MORE KIDS IN A CLASS, AND THE BUSES ARE BURNING UP WITH 300,000 MILES. SC STILL LAGS BEHIND THE SOUTHEAST IN TEACHER PAY-AND WE STILL HAVE CRUMBLING SCHOOL BUILDINGS. YOU CANT HAVE LOW TAXES AND GOOD SCHOOLS.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on August 19, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow.I'm sooooo glad we have a new $75mil new high school!**note large amounts of sarcasm**Let's start with the basics and get them to school alive.I find it repulsive that buses don't have seat belts.If we don't buckle our kids up we are ticketed and dubbed neglectful.Yet the school district sends our kids to school unbuckled in flaming death traps and it's all good.How about having each parent donate $10-$20 to go for new buses/seatbelts instead of donated tissues,hand sanitizer and zip lock bags?I would bet 90% of parents would rather their money spent on safety than BS extras.
Posted by sithlorderic on August 19, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As an engineer for a major diesel engine manufacturer I'd like to express my alarm that this problem exists, is well known and documented, and yet nobody is doing anything about it. Engine fires are not a "normal" failure mode. The state school system should be pushing hard on the bus manufacturer to address the obvious fault with the vehicle engine. The fact that this failure occurs primarily on the same year, make, and model bus suggests the manufacturer is largely to blame. The bus manufacturer, in this case Thomas, should step up and issue a voluntary recall of afflicted models to address the safety concern. This failure poses significant threat of human injury or death and should not be taken lightly!
Also a side not to the Post and Courier: There are a couple of technical errors in your reporting of the failure. There is no such thing as a "turbo injector." You are referring to a turbocharger. The "injector" on a diesel engine refers to something totally unconnected with the turbocharger. Also turbochargers may leak oil, but cannot leak fuel as fuel does not pass through them.
Posted by goodkarmasc on August 19, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Keep voting for that "R" folks!
Cut taxes? SURE!
Cut government? OF COURSE!
Cut waste? Well, maybe....
These republicans in Columbia only see one thing, cut taxes, regardless of the impact on the VAST MAJORITY of South Carolina citizens.
I don't have any children in public/private schools but I realize that education investment leads to a better quality of life for ALL of our citizens. Education helps eliminate crime, poverty, poor health....it helps create jobs, flow of industry and economic progress.
But the republicans in the SC legislature want private school tuition for THEIR kids, while leaving rural, poor, and challenged children to fend for themselves on less than optimal funding. It's been a pattern since 1994 and hopefully the majority of South Carolinians are seeing through the smoke screen of "cutting taxes".
Posted by riddiksgirl on August 19, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yep...my little girls bus was late again this morning because of engine trouble. I know this is frustrating for me, so it HAS to be frustrating for her driver.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on August 19, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A little off topic but some of these bus drivers are psycho nut jobs.My child had a substitute driver for a week last year who was crazy!Due to the fact my child has to walk a damn near 1/2 mile to her bus stop,I had permission for her to carry a cell phone.(Thank God!)One day she was 30mins late and still not home.I was worried so I called her phone.This crazy b-word ran over a stick and freaked out.She pulled to the side of the road insisting the kids made the noise.She yelled at them that she wouldnt take them home until someone told her what THEY did.The repeatedly told her she drove over the stick.Several students got panicky and asked to exit the bus and were calling their parents.She got more irate and called one boy "little one" and told him "bring it on".(this boy was short and self conscious as it is)I told my daughter to tell me her exact location and I was coming to get her.Finally with the parental threats she decided to get the kids home.(over 40 mins late!)My daughter cried when she got home and two students cried on the bus.They were scared and needed to get home.Oh by the way these were middle schoolers too-imagine how elementary kids wouldve felt?The system is screwed all around.
Posted by mkris on August 19, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Plantation slaves don't need to read or do numbers.... Thats the way the South Carolina Legislature and Gov. Mark Sanford want it; that't the way its gonna be.
Posted by commonsence on August 19, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This won't change until, god forbid, a child dies in a burning bus and a HUGE lawsuit is filed against the state for negligence. It's a matter of time. Then the settlement will be so big, they won't have $ for replacement.
Posted by DanniD on August 19, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hey coolfreaknbeans...is the bus drivers name Ms. Claudia?
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on August 19, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My daughter doesnt remember her name.I immediately called the school and transportation department though.I had forgotten she had said to the same boy as she bowed up to him,"you feel froggy boyyyy jump,I aint going no where" and she told them not to call their parents. Class act huh?These people(even bus drivers)are supposed to be role models for our children.And she held them captive and threatened to fight a boy.
Posted by Rebel_Yell on August 19, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If a child dies from a fire due to faulty repair, it will be 300K in damages and not one cent more. That's just the way it is.
Posted by bushnell on August 19, 2008 at noon (Suggest removal)
This is only one example of why I refuse to allow my chidlren to ride the school bus. I believe this is not a political party issue. This goes across both parties. Our state has to step up and provide more funding for the protection and education of our state's children.
Posted by DanniD on August 19, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
my kids have a crazy bus driver too. She has a whistle that she blows at them when they are too loud. But, in her defense I do know that the kids do act up on the bus. You would think that they would be held to a higher standard though since they are dealing with children.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 19, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When I think of school bus drivers I always think of Ms. Crabtree on South Park.
Posted by ChasCarolinaGirl on August 19, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LMAO Iceman!!!!! That was a scary, disgusting woman! Wasn't she? LOL
Posted by sithlorderic on August 19, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ColdBeer, yes, small remnants of fuel can pass into the exhaust due to a failed injector, but this generally causes excess smoke as the heat of the exhaust gasses will cause the fuel to partially burn. The amount would have to be pretty huge to be able to leak from a turbo. Also an injector that failed that horribly would be noticed before a fire broke out. Plus the turbo would still have to fail independently, AND there would have to be enough fuel pooled up to resist being simply blown out of the turbo by the sheer flow of exhaust. In all the prospect of fuel leaking out of a turbo is almost nill. If any combustible fluid Also while on-road engines manufactured after 1.1.07 have exhaust aftertreatment which may (depending on the fuel system) require very small and very occasional late-cycle injections of fuel into the exhaust for regeneration, these buses are far older than 2007 and should have no such equipment or fueling recipe.
As for the liability of the engine manufacturer you are correct. The state should be pressuring the bus manufacturer who should then in turn pressure the engine manufacturer. If the problem is a failing turbo, then the engine manufacturer is most likely the culprit and should be taking every necessary step to resolve it. The issue could still be Thomas's fault, however, if they did not follow the engine manufacturer's guidelines when designing the bus. (There's a lot more than just dropping an engine on a frame. There's shrouding, cooling, running hoses and electrical lines, etc. that is the bus manufacturer's responsibility) Either way BOTH companies, regardless of liability, should at least work together to quickly determine a resolution. They can work out in court later who needs to foot the bill.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 19, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ChasCarolinaGirl, Yes. Ms. Crabtree was quite a character. I remember when I was a kid in Tampa we had a bus driver that reminded me of Mrs. Lift on Throw Momma from the Train.
Posted by ChasCarolinaGirl on August 19, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, that is not good! Was she mean like her as well?
Posted by iceman1978 on August 19, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Chas, Yes. She also worked in the cafeteria and would walk around yelling that she was going to write people up for misbehavior.
When she wasn't around the other kids in my class would burst out laughing when I did an impersonation of her. Even my teacher thought it was funny.
Posted by charlestonnative1963 on August 19, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I thought by now we all knew that K12 receives only a minute amount of money from the lottery. I voted for it- not realizing that th money was for Life scholarships and colleges...I ASSUMED--it was for K-12. I have known a long time ago that it does not.
Posted by jeff61 on August 19, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's like passing an accident on the highway - I don't WANT to look, but sometimes I look, and then I feel nauseous and hate myself for exposing myself to that.
Posted by iceman1978 on August 19, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
charlestonnative, It's why I voted against the lottery. I knew all along it wouldn't go for K-12.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on August 19, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah it's above my paygrade too.But hey MY KID CAN READ!!!
Posted by STREETLAW on August 19, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Football. We need football.
Posted by eyfigueroa on August 19, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"...this topic is above my paygrade!"
Wasn't that hilarious?
Ahhh you gotta love American politics.
Posted by ChasCarolinaGirl on August 19, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
LOL Iceman ... Can you still do the impersonation of her? I bet that is funny.
Jeff ~ You are something!
Streetlaw ~ I am very ready for college football myself! I can't wait to tailgate and party!
Posted by BerkeleyCo_Mom_of_3 on August 19, 2008 at 2:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jeff...AMEN!
Posted by USMCMWS on August 19, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One for the road. Since we keep hearing that there is no $$ and as a result we cannot buy replacement busses, or properly educate our children. Check out the following site to be shocked and or really PO ed.
http://salaries.thestateonline.com/index...
Semper Fi
Posted by jeff61 on August 19, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actualy Berkeley,, that is an inside joke between some of us,,some one posted that line on another story and we fell in love with it.
Posted by ChasCarolinaGirl on August 19, 2008 at 7:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
SofaKing ~ Name one politician in just the last 100 years that has not been slimy or corrupt.
My husband and I joke that Obama isn't corrupt enough to be president. It is sad but true. Who knows? Im neither republican or democrat so Im neutral to the right candidate, but Im not impressed w/ neither McCain or Obama.
I think that I will write in Steven Colbert for President!!!! Wheeeewwwww lol Of course Im just kidding .. dont want to get the serious ones in a tizzy! Then again, who cares ... ;-)
Posted by rollo on August 19, 2008 at 7:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm very happy to learn that all the students and the driver got off the bus safely.
And I wonder if there isn't some sort of alarm system to warn the driver that there is a fire or smoke in the engine compartment? Not a perfect solution, but better than relying on luck, as this driver had, and hopefully less expensive than replacing the turbo. A simple manifold pressure gauge would indicate the possibility that the turbo/injection system is leaking.
And again, the P&C presents "hard" numbers that go more squishy when examined.
Just study this; "The first year under the new replacement cycle went according to plan, and the state brought 527 new buses into the fleet, allowing the retirement of buses that had been on the road since the mid-1980s. To stay on the 15-year cycle, the state needs to buy 380 buses each year at about $80,000 a pop.
This year, the Legislature earmarked $30 million for new buses,
The first thing that stood out to me was 130 buses +103 buses =233 buses ",leaving the replacement cycle 103 buses short for the two-year span." not 380/yr. as claimed. 380/yr. on a "two-year span" =760 buses, 130+103=233/yr or 466/2yr!
"but in the ensuing budget crisis that was cut to $10.6 million. That will buy only 130 new buses," At $80,000.00/unit, $10.6million buys 132.5 buses. OTOH, 380 buses will cost $30.4million, not $30million as reported.
Ron, Andy... before you report "hard" facts, check the numbers.
Start,Programs,Accessories,Calculator.
You're welcome!
Posted by ChasCarolinaGirl on August 19, 2008 at 8:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mark Sanford is annoying as all get out and his conceited, stuck up wife Jenny is, well conceited. Can't stand her .. she is almost as rude as they come and expects that damn red carpet to be rolled out for her as though she is a princess. blah blah blah Do you really want to know about how I feel about her? lol j/p
Posted by localboy on August 19, 2008 at 8:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
USMCMWS - 25% (about 501 mil) of the lottery funds go to K-12 but it certainly isn't the 1.7 billion that goes to higher ed. Programs such as the Endowed Chairs got 190 million that could have bought more than a few buses instead of funneling money into programs of questionable worth. Call Bobby Harrell and ask him why he fought for the endowed chairs program and see what he really gets out of it!
Posted by JustJennings on August 20, 2008 at 7:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When we spend 100's of billions to kill people in Iraq who have done nothing to us, but we can't buy safe school buses, something is wrong. Fortunately no one was hurt this time, but how many kids will burn to death the next time?