November 1, 2007

Simulated fire erupts at school

       For years, the fire department has gone to each school in the Center Grove School District and taught fire safety lessons to children in hopes of providing them with the training and techniques needed to save their lives if ever they find themselves involved in a fire or smoky situation.  So each year, during department-sponsored educational programs, students are reminded what to do should a fire occur in their home.  They are then also asked to practice fire drills with their parents when they get home.  Additionally at each school, the administration routinely practices fire drills where the Principal trips the fire alarm and the students calmly exit the building.

         Center Grove Elementary School Principal Bruce Haddix and White River Township Fire Marshal Eric Brown wanted to take these "normal" drills one step further and plan a drill where students could experience a more life-like exercise but be able to do it in a completely safe environment.  Over a period of several weeks, the two officials prepared plans to accomplish this realistic "life-like drill”.  Mr. Haddix and Mr. Brown determined that the details of the event would not be discussed with any of the staff from the school or the fire department.  This was intended to simulate an actual response to a fire without individuals preparing ahead of time.  To reproduce a more life-like and smoky atmosphere, the department used its smoke machine that is commonly used for training firefighters. The special training machine uses a safe, non-toxic, water-based fluid that creates a very dense simulated “smoke”.  This simulated smoke obstructs view and makes the scenario life-like, but without the dangers of carbon monoxide or other poisonous gases which would normally be produced by a live fire.  The Principal sent home notices to parents that the school and the fire department were going to conduct a mock disaster drill at the school on Thursday’s date, but it did not reveal the details of the scenario.  Mr. Haddix was also asked by the department if four fifth-grade students could participate as “victims” for the exercise.  Mr. Haddix subsequently obtained parental permission to use four students that teachers determined would handle the scary atmosphere. These four students would be used to simulate children who became disorientated and trapped in the smoky building and would require a firefighter to rescue them.

         The premise of the drill was that a fire would occur somewhere in the building and children and adult staff would be trapped throughout and would need to be rescued.  This would test both the school and the fire department to the fullest.  To begin the drill, a simulated fire would originate in a fifth-grade classroom while the students and teacher were in another classroom watching a movie. Firefighters used the smoke machine to completely fill the room with the training smoke. The room was filled to a level that responders could not see more than six inches in front of them.  The door was then opened and the simulated smoke was blown out into the hallway until the smoke detector in the hall activated. Firefighters blocked one of the normal exit paths in the location where the smoke was coming from the classroom. This required staff and students to alter their normal practiced fire drills and use their second way out.  On activation of the fire alarm, the students and staff responded as they normally do when they hear the fire alarm. They calmly lined up at the door and prepared to exit the building going to their pre-determined meeting place.  However today, students in and near the fifth-grade hall found a lot of smoke in their hallway and quickly determined that this was not the normal fire drill. The simulated smoke was so thick in the fifth-grade hall that students could not see their normal exit.  Almost immediately students remembered their training that Fire Prevention Officers had taught them in prior visits. That training was to get down low and crawl when they see smoke in a building. More than 100 students and their teachers crawled down their hall to their second exit and then out of the building. Other students saw some smoke in the building but it was not as intense as what the fourth and fifth-graders experienced.  Meanwhile, the alarm company received the fire alarm and called the fire dispatchers to dispatch the fire department.  Although firefighters and equipment were staged in a nearby parking lot for the drill, each unit was dispatched in real-time and were not allowed to respond until a realistic response time had had elapsed.  This way, the simulated emergency would unfold as close to a real-time event as possible. While on the way to the school, Battalion Chief Jeff Wilson received notification from dispatch that they received a call from the school office stating that they had a fire in the building and that at least six people where trapped in the hall were the fire was located.  At that time, Chief Wilson asked the dispatcher to upgrade the response from the normal response to have them dispatch the remainder of a Box Alarm assignment which includes an additional three fire engines, a ladder truck, four Chief Officers, and an ambulance. As Chief Wilson arrived, he observed heavy smoke coming from the rear of the building and immediately asked the dispatcher to start a second alarm which would include an additional three fire engines, two ladder trucks and three ambulances.  Firefighters quickly entered the building to locate the fire and the trapped students.  As additional fire crews arrived, each student is located and treated for their pre-determined “injuries” or problems.  All student and adult role players who were injured or unconscious were located in the smoke and were removed to the three awaiting ambulances.  Once the fire department had rescued all “victims” and extinguished the simulated fire, the drill was concluded.

         The mock drill was a great learning experience for the school staff, students, and the emergency responders.  After the drill was complete, all students and staff reported to the gymnasium where Chief Brown and Principal Haddix spoke to the entire student body and praised everyone for their excellent response to the real-life drill.  Chief Brown answered questions that students and staff had asked and then reminded the students to take the experience from the drill and apply it in their daily lives.  Firefighters remained in the building after the drill and offered guidance for any classrooms wanted to talk about the exercise.

         The White River Township Fire Department would like to thank Principal Haddix and the entire staff of the Center Grove Elementary School as well as the Center Grove School Corporation for allowing the department to interrupt the school day for a few hours.  Chief Brown and Principal Haddix truly believe that students and staff responded appropriately and many valuable lessons where learned by both the school staff and the firefighters. Both agreed that it was a fantastic training opportunity for all persons involved.
 

           

           

           
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