Plaid have welcomed the move by Pembrokeshire County Council to give further consideration to fitting sprinkler systems in schools rather than simply dismissing the idea.
John Dixon, Plaid's Assembly candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said: "The councillors who have called for a re-think are to be congratulated for their action. I believe that sprinkler systems should be fitted as a matter of course in all new schools and in schools being refurbished.
"This is a matter which Plaid's spokesperson on Education in the Assembly, Janet Ryder AM, has raised repeatedly with the Minister, who has refused to act."
Mr. Dixon referred to support from fire officers and others for the idea, and said that the dangers of accidentally or maliciously triggering the systems were greatly exaggerated.
"Modern systems are only activated in reaction to high levels of heat, and to set one off you would have to start a fire underneath the sensor," he said. Mr. Dixon also attacked some of the points raised against fitting sprinklers.
"The argument made by some that there have been no fatalities in school fires is badly flawed - the implication is that we will only act after there has been a fatality. Surely our aim should be to ensure that there never is one, rather than acting after the event? Prevention is always a better option.
"The cost argument is the one most frequently used, but that is also flawed. It is far cheaper to fit systems when schools are being built or refurbished than it is to retro-fit them into schools, and we should be taking the opportunity. And fitting sprinkler systems means that any fire is likely to cause less damage and disruption - and therefore less cost - than the disastrous fires we have seen at some schools.
"Plaid again call on the Assembly government to make the fitting of such systems compulsory in all new and refurbished schools. Why does the Minister keep refusing?"