Crying Wolf: Hamber’s Four Consecutive Fire Alarm Pulls

Photo Credit: Adelaide Guan

With the holidays around the corner, Hamber’s halls have been filled with the ringing of bells. Unfortunately, the bells in question were not of the Christmas variety, but instead issued by the Fire Department.

Beginning on Dec. 11, Hamber’s fire alarm system was triggered four consecutive school days in a row, between the end of lunch and the end of school. By the end of the fourth day, some students were used to having a sort of ‘break’ from their afternoon classes.

“When it was unexpected the first couple of times it was fun,” Suwhan Hsu (11) admitted to the Nest, “but after a while it actually got annoying.” 

Jake Jang (11), a student in Ms. Mysuria’s fourth block AP Calculus class, recounted how he was rescued by the bell.

“When I read the first question, I was like, oh no, I don’t know how to do this. I guess it was lucky that the alarm went off when it did,” he said.

However, despite many students growing fond of the short afternoon break caused by the fire bell, students with more challenging courses and tests found that these disruptions negatively affected their performance.

“I had math during fourth block, so it was often interrupted by the alarm,” said Zoey Cheang (10). “We had a test one class so we had to leave in the middle of it, so we ended up having less time to finish it.”

Oliver Seid (10) held a similar opinion, exclaiming that “the pulls really pushed my buttons!”

Although there was some diversity in the student body’s response to the situation, Hamber’s teaching faculty collectively believed that the series of fire alarms were a waste of valuable class time.

“I had to move one of my chemistry tests because my class lost a bunch of in-class study time,” said Mr. D. Nguyen (Science). “l also had to be wary of my planning for the test reschedule, as I did not know whether the alarm would be pulled that block.” 

Mr. Nguyen states that, because of the disturbances, his schedule had to be pushed back further, and as a result, his class would have less time in January to prepare for upcoming tests. Rescheduling class plans while also keeping the course load manageable was a common concern among Hamber teachers.

Some classes were in the middle of a test when the fire bells started ringing.

“Well, we were in the middle of doing a test, right? So that created anxiety, not just for myself but I'm sure for students too as we rushed out,” shared Ms. N. Mysuria (Mathematics).

Ms. Mysuria also stated that though the alarm disrupted her test period and led to rescheduling complications, there was nothing else they could do but move on.

“So in the end, you always have to just adapt. It is what it is, you have to deal with it,” she said.

Teachers also noticed that the evacuation process proved to be uncomfortable for many students as they were not dressed to stay outside in the cold for long periods of time.

“What I had on wasn’t enough for the cold weather. I wasn’t prepared for that,” said Kae Lin Whiton (11), who was wearing a thin, long sleeve top the first day. Many students voiced similar concerns.

Cold weather was not the only challenge regarding student evacuation. Mr. B. Gibson (Learning Strategies) explained some of the difficulties faced in evacuating students of Hamber’s Learning Strategies department. Many students face sensory issues in the class, and according to Mr. Gibson, they encountered anxiety and stress during the fire alarms.

“I’ve had some students walk outside in their socks or feet because they didn’t want to wreck their indoor shoes,” Mr. Gibson said. “There was even a girl that fainted due to an anxiety attack. The crowds, the fire alarms, everything. Her anxiety got so bad that she actually temporarily passed out.”

Furthermore, Mr. Gibson mentioned that the construction for Hamber’s new building has caused a new level of inaccessibility for wheelchair users. Now, every time an evacuation occurs, students in wheelchairs have to be brought around Willow St. and along the busy Oak St. sidewalk to the turf, which is generally less safe and could cause uncomfortable sensory reactions.

He also noted that the thought of the fire alarm ringing again gave many students writing tests in the skills room exacerbated anxiety, negatively influencing their academic performance.

“The worst thing is, it’s taxpayers’ dollars,” said Winston Lee (10). “The fool who pulls the fire alarm is taking money out of their own parents’ pockets for a practical joke.” While the exact cost of a fire alarm has not been confirmed, concerns have been raised about a shortened budget as a consequence.

Mr. A. MacInnes (Administration), Hamber’s Acting Vice Principal, explained that incidents like these extend beyond the students and faculty of Hamber.

“Hamber actually has priority over some other emergency operations due to our large student population,” said Mr. MacInnes, explaining that fire trucks en-route to a different location would be redirected to Hamber in the case of a fire alarm. “As a result of the fire alarms, these first responders are taken away from their normal duties where they could be out, saving lives.”