CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Capital High School Principal Clinton Giles is frustrated by an order from the state fire marshal that banners flying near the center of the school's gymnasium must be removed and placed along gym walls.

"I just do not see the need for this," Giles said. "This is above and beyond, in my opinion, what should be expected of us.

"We will do what we are told to do, but this is unreasonable," he said.

At least four Kanawha County workers were using a large scissor lift to remove the banners Tuesday.

Several blue CHS banners that feature the head of a cougar, the school's mascot, will be put into storage. Banners with the team colors for all 16 Mountain State Athletic Conference schools are being hung along the walls.

County workers also relocated blue and white banners with abstract icons illustrating various sports, such as basketball, swimming and track and field.

The banners have been hanging in the gymnasium since Capital High opened in 1989, Giles said, and he believes they add to the aesthetic appeal of the school.

"They just can't hang them from the structure above because it just really impedes the pattern of the sprinkler system," Assistant Fire Marshal Norman Fetterman said.

A dozen other CHS banners and the same number of matching streamers in the nearby commons area must also be moved, Giles said. Those banners will likely end up in storage, as the ceiling and walls are not very high in the commons area.

In part, the banners must be moved to the walls in the gymnasium because Fetterman doesn't know if their material is noncombustible or fire-resistant.

Kanawha County Maintenance Director Terry Hollandsworth said Capital is not the only school that would need to replace or move banners, but he is not sure at how many buildings or at what cost.

"We're going to be going to all the schools," he said, adding that the work will stretch into the summer months. "Nothing can hang from the ceiling in any school."

Hollandsworth agreed with Fetterman that the banners cannot be allowed to block sprinklers.

"Flags hanging down blocks the water from getting down," he said. Another concern is if a banner catches fire, it could "literally jump past the sprinkler head and catch the roof on fire," he said, adding that Fetterman's decision is "based on experience."

"You can't do anything to block the sprinkler head, and that's just trying to protect our buildings," Hollandsworth said.

Giles disagrees, and questions why the banners have passed fire inspections for the past 22 years.

"They're not horizontal or parallel to [the gym floor]," he said of the banners. "They're perpendicular to the floor. ... How much water do you think will be impeded by those banners?

He noted that colleges and universities around the state have banners hanging near the center of their arenas.

"I guarantee you they're not going to go to West Virginia University and make them take Jerry West's jersey down," he said.

Giles does not see any reason why moving the banners would increase a person's chances for survival if a fire broke out in the gym. He also criticized the potential cost and hours spent to move the banners countywide.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.