The high-pitched shriek of a fire alarm blares, but instead of preparing to evacuate with a sense of urgency, almost everyone remains seated, continuing their work. This exact situation occurred at Northwood on May 1. The sheer frequency of false alarms has desensitized everyone to their intended urgency.

Whether due to confusion regarding the alarm’s legitimacy or an assumption that it’s false, the lack of responsive action is concerning.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 9% of home fire fatalities occurred despite working smoke alarms. This is often because residents didn’t respond in time. Similarly, in schools, especially considering the amount of students on campus, timely and coordinated response is just as critical to ensure safety in the event of a real fire.

Some may chalk up the inaction simply to the amount of false alarms Northwood experiences. In fact, according to assistant principal Eric Keith, there hasn’t been an actual case of a fire that’s started at school in Northwood’s history. However, just because all the alarms in the past have been false doesn’t mean all future alarms will be as well.

While there have been efforts to decrease the amount of false alarms, such as putting covers over the fire alarms in the pods, false alarms are inevitable, as they can be caused both accidentally and intentionally.

“We try to make sure false alarms don’t happen too frequently, but we also try to make the announcement as quickly as possible,” Keith said. “I think being ready as soon as you hear that announcement is best, and then you can mobilize or you can get back to what you were doing.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southern California is at a significant risk of fires, displayed by the 2020 Silverado Fire which reached Northwood and served as a stark reminder of the fire risks this school is exposed to. Every alarm deserves to be treated with immediate action, in the event that it is real.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone should rush out of their classrooms as soon as the alarm goes off, but instead that they should promptly prepare for evacuation while anticipating further announcements, which, according to Keith, should come within minutes. Meanwhile, teachers and students should suspend all instruction and prepare to follow evacuation procedures if necessary.

So, next time you hear a fire alarm, consider taking it more seriously, as your life is worth more than five minutes of class time.