There have been numerous fire alarms in the past few weeks, and it has come with two “alarming” revelations. The school is ill-prepared for a real fire, and the students don’t take the fire alarms seriously. While this may be common knowledge for most, in the event of a real fire it could have drastic consequences for the students and their families.

During the fire drill, the students left the buildings at a leisurely pace, with absolutely no order to the mass of people that were involved. As students went to the field and out by the gates, many students were struggling to locate their teachers in the chaos, and were wandering aimlessly around campus. Of course, the fault didn’t solely rest on the arms of the students, it also lies with the poor planning of the drills. Many understand that students should be surprised by a fire drill, but the way the classes are arranged should be explained to the students thoroughly. The classes I was a part of went the wrong way at least twice during the fire alarms that were pulled.

In every building there are fire alarms that can be pulled in the case of a fire emergency. While the students this year and last year were eventually caught for pulling the fire alarm, it was only after the alarm was pulled numerous times. Pulling the fire alarm can result in a hefty fine and possibly even being arrested, and possibly suspended. It is a waste of the school’s and the fire department’s time and money. In addition, whomever pulls it could get in serious trouble. These false alarms cultivate apathy among the students and could end up costing student lives in the event of a real fire. Refrain from pulling a false fire alarm, if not for your fellow students or out of respect for firemen, then for yourself. Getting out of class for two minutes isn’t worth the possible price one would pay if they were caught.