On Monday 27 May at approximately 11 AM, a fire alarm pulled Marc Garneau C.I. students out of their third period classes for an emergency evacuation. After the school was cleared by safety personnel for fire hazards, students returned to classes roughly twenty minutes later.
Following the students’ 11:20 AM return, a second alarm sounded, pulling students out of classes again for another emergency evacuation. This second alarm sounded for approximately forty seconds, before stopping. Students were promptly ushered back into classes, before a third alarm rang just as students returned to their seats.
The morning’s three alarms not only disrupted classes in third period and students busy with preparations for upcoming summatives, but also was a hugely uneconomical delay. In an announcement following these alarms, Principal Goldenberg made clear her disappointment for the number of fire alarms set off this year, although some of these alarms have been caused by technical problems while others have been a result of mischief. Damages from students pulling alarms without adequate reason to date are expected to total approximately $3 600 in the 2012-2013 school year.
