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THE MIRROR | ZACKARY SKOLNICK

Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters dressed in full turnout gear enter Van Nuys High School as the school’s fire alarms continue to blare on and off.

On Thursday, Dec. 1, during 5th period, classes were interrupted by the fire alarm sounding off.  Within a few minutes, the main office quickly tried to turn off the alarm. Unlike other days, the alarm would not stop.

The alarm was not triggered by a sensor in a bathroom or a classroom, instead, the alarm was triggered from a pull station.

“Every time the alarm goes off, there is a panel in the main office that tells us where the alarm is located,” said Vice Principal Anabel Bonney. 

The administration believes that the alarm was triggered by a faulty panel located in the big gym. “The alarm was not pulled. It just looked like it was loose, which caused the alarm to keep going off,” said Vice Principal Bonney. 

On the contrary, 5th period dance students told The Mirror that they witnessed a student pulling the fire alarm in the small gym and then running away. 

The Mirror was able to obtain photographs taken inside the small gym, confirming that a pull station in the small gym had been pulled and damaged. 

Due to the sheer amount of times that the alarm rang, Los Angeles Fire Department personnel arrived on campus and were escorted to the big gym. Fire personnel did not investigate the pull station in the small gym, nor were they informed about it.

The reason why the administration did not know about the pull station in the small gym is unclear.

It is believed that the main panel in the office was incorrectly set up, and the panel did not specify whether the alarm in the small or the big gym was pulled.

As the alarms continued to blare, teachers received a message through Schoology during 6th period from the administration informing them that the school was having issues with the fire alarm system and that they were contacting the district for assistance. 

The fire alarm continued to screech throughout the remainder of the day until LAUSD electricians were able to fix both stations after school.