False Alarm: Unanticipated Fire Alarms Raise Concerns Amongst Students and Staff
Melody Tang and Jocelyn Barton
ONLINE EDITORS
Three fire alarms were triggered in the span of one week during late September, impacting the schedules of both students and faculty at Andover High School.
Principal Caitlin Brown has dealt with countless fire alarm procedures over her three years at AHS. “A lot of it is human error (such as accidental triggers),” Brown observed. However, for the three alarms triggered in the last week of September, the causes are undisclosed. “Because it involves students, there’s a privacy piece,” stated Brown. “Faculty can’t really get into detail about what happened in order to protect [the] students [involved].”
Discipline is unavoidable for those who purposely trigger the alarm. Brown notes that students who are at fault are subject to both school discipline and legal consequences as seen appropriate. Because the fire department would be occupied with the fire alarm instead of another emergency, false alarms also jeopardize the safety of the Andover community. “If there was a fire, the fire department would be responding to us and not something that is happening in the community,” explained Brown.
Many students at AHS have spoken up about how the fire alarms in late September have negatively impacted their schedules. “Fire alarms totally disrupt my day,” senior Amelia Hanscom commented, elaborating that the alarms “interrupt the flow of class” and that “it’s always so annoying to hear [it] go off.”
In a similar position as Hanscom, Junior Zara Hayat expressed her discontent towards the alarms. “One of my tests was disrupted during these fire alarms and I was unable to finish,” Hayat informed, adding, “[The alarms] keep getting set off, so it’s just annoying now…and I’m pretty sure everybody knows what to do in terms of a fire.”
Fire alarms have also affected students who are part of the Bridge Program, a “self contained classroom primarily for students with autism that require intense behavioral support [and] academic intervention.” Jason Gillespie, head of the program, mentioned that flashing lights and loud noises are the primary causes of discomfort for the students. Furthermore, those in the Bridge Program often have scripted, pre-planned schedules that help with smooth transitions between daily events. When unanticipated events like fire alarms occur, it can be difficult to recover from. “For [students in the program, fire alarms are] extremely disruptive,” stated Gillespie. “We understand the necessity for it…but if it is just someone playing pranks, then that’s disruptive and potentially dangerous for our guys.”
In order to lower the rate of unintended or malicious triggering of fire alarms, faculty members assure to find those who are responsible, making sure to “address the situation as it happens.” Brown implemented this strategy three years ago, when unanticipated fire alarms were also being triggered sporadically, with no major problems occurring since then.
In the long run, students’ safety is the biggest priority for Brown. “My ultimate goal is to keep [students] safe all the time,” Brown commented. “I would run into walls for all of you, seriously. That’s our job.”
