“Safety first,” that ageless slogan, seems to have dropped off the script for public schools facilities upkeep. The latest inventory of fire alarms shows 15 of the state’s campuses have inoperable systems.

That appalling fact has drawn concern from the state Department of Education brass. Superintendent Keith Hayashi has declared that bringing all systems back online is a top priority. The public, with its fear of uncontrolled fire intensified post-Lahaina wildfire, certainly hopes so, but expects action to speak louder than words.