right now on "news4 in week," getting ready. we'll look at the prechgss for the inauguration of our nation's 45th president. slow down. a new law that could change how you drive through school zones in maryland. and a growing trend. a new group that help hes kwe maijuana enthusiasts with a place to live. hi, everyone. as wed head into the new year, we're looking at the sneak peek of the dornld trump inauguration. all of the blanches of the military have been planning for big day for several years. megern fitzgerald takes a look. >> reporter: the presidential inauguration is an event designed to exemplify why america is one of the greatest

power and of course the parade held to celebrate our new president. but that process takes a lot of planning. >> about a year out, when you get about a year out from inauguration, that's when you start to go hot and heavy into the planning. you bring additional staff members on. >> reporter: major general bradley bebber along with other members of the military inaugural support team, discuss their planning process for the 58th presidential inauguration, something they say has been in the works for five years. >> well, we've got members lining the route. we've got our ceremonial units that will march and lead the parade. >> reporter: while the band and service members practice their songs and formation, we got a look at what it takes to get the inaugural horses ready for the big day. >> these animals have to be be trained very rigorously. they actually are desensitized to crowds. >> reporter: desensitizing these

their trainer ruben foyer showed us part of what they do. >> it's very unnatural for a hoss horse to accept the sound of something rustling. >> reporter: he says the sound of bags frighten horses which could calls them to buck and become dangerous. >> he jumps it at a little bit. >> reporter: so he uses bags and other tools to show what the horses can expect on january 20th. >> i don't want him scared of having a flag above his head like this rfrnlt it's a long process to get ready for the day the new president will be be sworn in. be ready. megan fitzgerald, news4. >> things we never think of. now to maryland where legislators are considering sweeping changes that could affect how you drive near schools. news4 has learned the state wants to reduce speed limits near every school in mont goomry county. it would drop from 25 miles an hour to just 15 miles per hour. scott mcfarland has more. >> reporter: christina morris war was on her way to seneca valley high school four years

the tragedy as if it were yesterday. >> i saw my daughter laying there on that hospital bed, and i went over and i kissed her. they told me i wasn't supposed to touch her, but i said this is the last time i'm going to see my child so i'm going to kiss her. >> reporter: the driver was not cited but a review of county records show christina is one of 34 school-age pedestrians hit by cars near montgomery county schools just since 2011. maryland state legislators many huge schools sit along huge busy streets. new legislation said to be debated in annapolis in january would allow montgomery county officials to reduce the speed limit to 15 miles per hour within one mile of every elementary cool, a mile and a half within each middle school and two miles near each high school. county keown shill member craig rice says the lower speed limits could make walker safer for the kits would would be a challenge

to which so many schools sit. >> it certainly is a challenge for us and it's certainly something where we don't want to impede the efficient flow of traffic. there's got to be a fine balance. >> reporter: the legislator must approve the limits and the county would have to pay for the new signs but christina's mother is already a sigh porter of the changes. >> slow down. there's no need for everyone to be rushing to get -- if you think you need to rush, then you might need to leave home a little earlier, you know, to get there on time. >> reporter: scott dig out from a blizzard that dumped almost 2 feet of snow in the area. it's time to get your car ready to drive in snow again. news4 traffic reporter melissa mollet turned to the experts for some answers and they say the time to prepare, right now. >> reporter: with winter fast approaching, here's what you need to know so you don't become a stranded statistic. >> the battery is the heart of the car. once it dies, nothing happens in the car.

levels. >> make sure your washer fluid is topped off. >> reporter: and a good gander at your tires, often the most neglected part of the car. >> when you have a sudden drop in temperature, you lose pressure in the tire. >> reporter: under-inflated tires can wear quickly and lead to a crash. holly painter with firestone complete auto care says it's important to know exactly how much air those tires need. >> you look here, the place card in the door jamb and it is 32 psi. >> reporter: next up, check your tread. no 2k3wrid means slipping and sliding, the old penny helps. >> if you can see the head of the penny, you need tires. >> reporter: rubber belts and hoses don't really like the cold weather either so check those and -- >> this is the emergency roadside kit. everyone should have this in his or her car. >> reporter: we're talking a first aid kit, flashlight, water, snacks, drinks, a battery open operated cell phone

better, that means no need for another car to help out. melissa mollet. well, it is legal in the district, but not every landlord is thrilled with tenants who grow marijuana. coming upg, we'll show you a new group connecting growers with a new place to live.

a recent d.c. law made it legal to grow and use practice still isn't allowed in a lot of apartment buildings but now there's a group helping to group up renters with landlords who allow it. >> for me, it's like meditation. it just put me in a peaceful state of mind. >> reporter: jamie edelman moved all the way from florida to the nation's capital to join the marijuana movement. >> i studied horticulture at the university of florida, and i

growing. >> reporter: so jamie and a friend who is a realtor started a facebook group for friendly housing in d.c., matching up tenants who want to grow legal amounts of marijuana at home with landlords who don't mind. >> you know, they'll say, we're look forge a place, we want a two-bedroom with a basement for growing. we'll go into our database and we'll find somebody that has, you know, the criteria they're looking for. >> reporter: d.c. is a town of renters and and row homes it's up to landlords to decide if they want tenants growing on their properties. ashley stafford just joined 420 friendly housing. >> it's genius. you can't get mad. you just have to try to do what you can to shutter the stigma. that's what i'm trying to do. >> reporter: jamie says there's a big response to his facebook group. >> we're finding responsible people that want to do things legitimately.

news4. so you head out often vacation and your car stays parked in the garage. coming up, we'll show you a new program that put your car to work and gets you some cash. plus, the news4 i-team uncovers a growing fire threat that could be hidden inside the walls of

. would you be willing to let a stranger use your car while you're out of town? well, that's the idea behind a west coast private car sharing business, and now it's here's how it works. >> reporter: click the app. open up the car you choose. and drive for a few hours a day or a week. but the car in this case a tesla model x parked on a residential street in the district does not belong to a rental company. the private owner rents it out when he's not using it, earning 60% of the rental fee, in this case $31 an hour.

around $5. >> you look on the app and see all the cars, and you can rent the one that's closest to you or the one that you like. >> reporter: d.c. get-around manager jay suber mann yam says most people want to know who pays if the car is damaged. >> if you're a renter and you're not covered, you'll be covered by the get around policy. if you're the owner, your car and the trip is also covered with a full $1 million full collision coverage. >> reporter: the app shows what cars are available and where. it opens up the car through a black box installed inside the vehicle and provided by getaround. it can be turned off by the car owner. >> every renter goes through a driving record check to make sure there's no duis or unsavory driving history. and renters also have to put their credit card information which corroborates with their driver's license and facebook log in. >> reporter: guess around already has hundreds of cars in the d.c. area with things like airbnb and uber common place, it's probably not surprising

seemed open to the idea. >> i think it's a great idea. i'm a frequent user of airbnb, why not a car? >> the folks at get around estimate that 80% of their renters are between the ages of 21 and 35, people who have chosen not to own a car. jackie bensen, news4. >> wow. what type of sighting is on the outside of your house? what kind of insulation do you have between your walls? fire experts say it could make a huge difference in q tisha thompson and the news4 i-team show you why a growing number of fire chiefs say they're tackling a type of fire that spreads so quickly they worry they can't get there until it's too late. >> 911. what is your emergency. >> reporter: it's the fire that changed everything for loudoun county's fire chief. >> the house next to us is on fire. >> reporter: a cigarette on the back deck lit a flame that spread so quickly -- the fire

the ten minutes to arrive. firefighters raced inside. >> mayday mayday! >> reporter: but within minutes the fire flashed over the entire floor. trapping them on the second story. >> all units evacuate the building immediately. >> you may not be able to get out because the way we're seeing materials burn. >> reporter: chief keith broward said four firefighters were badly burned but survived. he worries fire like this are becoming more common because of a and modern-day insulation. >> we can't get there in time. >> reporter: chief braugher showed us picture after picture of recent external fires in virginia he says clad in vinyl siding and energy efficient insulation. >> we've seen them go to flashover, full involvement in as little as ten minutes. >> reporter: steve kisher conducted a 2-year million dollar study of the insulation and siding used in modern day construction to see how long it

unattended cigarette to turn into a dangerous attic fire. >> typically there are not smoke alarms or sprinklers in the attic space so you can have a fire developing overtop of your seal and not realize it's there until the ceiling drops down. >> reporter: kerr bir says brick, stone and stuck co-don't catch fire. a fire near cedar shingles and cement board called lardy board can reach an attic within about 20 minutes. but his study found a fire next to vinyl insulation could reach into the at ick in less than 11 minutes. >> it starts to melt and move. exposing the foam behind it. >> reporter: while the combination of vinyl siding and half inch polly sty roam foam board became a fully engulfed attic fire in their study in just one minute and 51 seconds. that's less than the amount of time you've been watching this story. >> vinyl siding does not contribute to the rapid spread of fires. >> reporter: the president of the vinyl siding institute says

flawed study, and at least six trade associations including the national association of home builders have expressed concerns to ul about the methodology, some bad science, some unrealistic conditions that are included in the study. >> reporter: her group says ul used a type of plywood not commonly used in most home construction in unrealistic scenarios such as a high en ignition source similar to a gas grill being pushed directly up against a house. what about this idea, though, that vinyl siding melts? is that true? >> it does melt at certain temperatures. well, it will actually melt and fall away even before it will ignite. >> reporter: eps industry alliance represents companies producing polysty ream foam board and says, we are aware of very few home fires involving this insulation and when properly installed and used in

it tells the i-team the ul report is a self-proclaimed research project to help firefighters understand the fire dynamics in these unique scenarios. but would welcome the opportunity to work with ul to identify appropriate test protocols for foam plastics insulation. ul actually develops many of the safety tests building materials must pass before they're allowed to be installed home. kerr bir says they stand by their study, hoping it will help firefighters help new techniques to battle these blaze blazes. >> what they're arriving to today is very different from what it was in the past. >> the vinyl siding industry says less than 4% of fires start outside the home. but fire experts say it is critical that you never put a grill near your home and keep mulch and other flammable materials at least a foot and a half away from the side of your house. no matter what type of siding

i-team. well, you can see video of all the tests tisha showed in her story, just go to the nbc washington app and tap on "investigations". call it the school of the future. when we come back, the exciting new building that gives students

students can come and go as they please, even if that means staying at school until 8:00 a of an open concept school coming to maryland. kristen wright shows us how frederick high school plans to turn the tables on education as we know it. >> reporter: the new frederick high school in maryland opens in 2017 with new walls, new life, and a new way of doing things. >> it will be a lot easier on the student athletes, take off some stress. they don't have to be coming home at 10:00 from a game.

program. this school is committed to this new approach to high school for the long haul and so is she. >> i'm at the point in my career, 35 years in, where i would normally be thinking about retiring but i'm not because this is too energizing to think about stopping. >> reporter: students at frederick will be the first to try links or linking youth to new experiences. >> we want to make sure that we can bring personalized learning to a large xprensive high school, that schools wouldn't have to look for a school to get a personalized experience, that we can deliver that right here in a neighborhood school. >> reporter: this also means flexible schedules like college, internships for credit, mentors, student teacher advocates and personalized plans for success. frederick high school's graduation rate of 93% is less than the county average. will this raise the numbers in. >> it's all open here. you can look down on the courtyard. >> i think it looks nice.

building. >> reporter: every year the frederick county school system will have to give the state information like test scores and date at that and surveys about links to evaluate whether the project is working. >> fascinating concept. that's going to do it for ""news4 this week."" i'm chris lawrence. we'll leave you with pictures from president obama's last turkey pardon at the white house. thanks for joining us.

like a bird on the wing. onward! the sailors cry. carry the lad that is born to be king over the sea to skye. george oliphant: tonight on "1st look" we're setting [theme music] scotland-- the name alone reverberates the strong sentiments of a proud nation. in edinburgh, the new parts of the city