Fire Department Conducts Realistic Drills in Stoneham Schools

The Stoneham Fire Department conducted realistic fire drills at the schools last month to more realistically simulate what it would be like if an actual emergency were to occur according to Chief Matthew Grafton.

From Oct. 20 to Oct. 31, firefighters visited Colonial Park, Robin Hood and South elementary schools, along with the middle and high school to conduct fire drill training.

For the first time, firefighters added a new element to the drills, bringing in a smoke machine that was used to block off a primary exit in each of the schools. The exercise was designed to imitate what students, teachers and staff should do if a real fire were to occur in the buildings.

“I wanted to add this component to our annual fire drills to have everyone in the buildings, students especially, think on their feet,” Chief Grafton said. “Every year students practice exiting their schools through a designated route, so we wanted to test them on their plan b. If a fire were to occur in real life, their first exit option might not always be available.”

The Stoneham Fire Department received positive feedback from members of each school administration and are planning to do more drills of this nature in the future.