Lenoir City High School students have been experiencing numerous amounts of fire drills lately but no one is quite sure why. These spontaneous practices could be for multiple reasons such as a student deciding to pull the alarm, routine drills, or actual smoke being detected within the school. Hailey Morgan (12) shares her opinions and thoughts on the unplanned drills.
“It’s kind of annoying considering the weird times they go off,” Morgan said.
The problem is presented when the detectors ring at unusual points during the day. These practices can run in between blocks, lunches, and even after the school day has ended. Although the weather conditions are not always on the student’s side, this schedule change gives peers a well-deserved break. Jordan Thompson (12) opens up about his conflict with the recent chaos.
“It’s annoying because it’s hot outside, but they’re cool because we get a break from class,” Thompson said.
The temperatures have been extremely high lately and it doesn’t help that there is no shade provided on the football field. Students have begun to wonder if there is a way to prevent this problem from occurring every week.
“Maybe they should make the alarms less sensitive but still where they can function properly,” Morgan said.
She believes that the fire drill sensors are way too reactive to the school environment. She adds that the alarms could be picking up the slightest bit of smoke which could be from the culinary room or heavy water vapor from boiling water in the lunch room.
Natalia Miraflores (11) gives her outlook on how the school can improve its fire alarm system.
“I think it should be sealed with glass so it’s not as accessible, but in case of emergency, you could break it open,” Miraflores said.
This could fix a lot of the recent problems and deter students from jokingly pulling the fire alarm or help identify if a sensor is malfunctioning.
Fire alarms are a great resource in case of emergency and are a necessity for a school. A fix in the fire alarm system will be really helpful, however having a bunch of people around can cause someone to bump into the alarm or pull it and make the alarm go off suddenly. The students of Lenoir City High School are still so thankful for our local firefighters to come help whether it be a false alarm or the real deal.
