Gas Emergency Leads to Evacuation

On November 9th there was a gas leak. You’ve probably heard rumors about what happened, but what really occurred?  

Imagine you’re sweating and nervous because you’re about to take a test. Suddenly, the fire alarm rings, and you’re saved from all those questions you forgot to study for. Yet, something is off. Didn’t we do all of the fire drills already?

An emergency is defined as a serious, unexpected, and oftentimes dangerous situation requiring immediate attention. At the elementary schools, emergencies could be lockdowns, lock ins, or fires. Obviously, there are endless possibilities, but if you remember either sitting in the corner or going outside with your teacher during drills, those were the only possibilities you probably knew of. At the middle schools, it’s still rare to experience a real emergency, but not rare enough that in the school year 2018-2019 at Iroquois middle school they found a threat and had to lock us all in. At the high school, it's a whole different story. 

Not only is there a chance of the basic emergencies, but there is the possibility of accidents in the culinary room, science classrooms. Of course, someone could set off sensors in the bathroom and more. When you're in High School, the frequency of emergencies increases. In the beginning of the school year, the school is required to do a certain number of fire drills.  Due to Covid-19, safety precautions must be carried out. Covid-19 has the priority over practicing like there’s a real fire. When we are dismissed by hallways and hear on the announcements that there’s a drill, we know that there is no real emergency. But, when the fire alarm goes off unexpectedly, you cannot be as sure. 

Despite the many precautions, accidents are bound to happen. Though, the Niskayuna High School is always handling them phenomenally. On Tuesday, November 9th around 12:55 pm you might remember hearing the loud noise of the fire alarm. After about 40 minutes, we were let back inside to get ready to finish the day. This was because of a gas “leak” in the chemistry room. Parents were emailed a series of messages informing them what was happening. One at 12:58 pm, one at 1:24 pm, and the last one at 1:39 pm. 

When interviewing a student (Jad Richani) who was actually in the classroom when it happened, I found answers explaining what happened:

Q: What caused the gas leak?

A: There was no gas “leak.” Every year, it is standard procedure for science teachers, especially chemistry teachers, to check and clear the gas lines at the beginning of every year for obvious reasons. However, because the gas wasn’t used in 2 years due to COVID-19, the gas was extremely potent (giving it a very strong smell). The HVAC system, combined with the open window, allowed the smell of the gas to travel to Crossroads where it was then distributed to the rest of the classrooms.

Q: Why was it necessary for us to leave the building?

A: At the time, the gym floors were being redone. The chemicals used on these floors were EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE, and it would only take a strike of a match for the gas to ignite the entire gym floor. The gas isn’t exactly great to inhale either.

Q: How did the fire department know it was safe for us to reenter the building?

A: I am not too sure, however I can assume they used a Portable Gas Leak Detector (PGLD) that can detect the levels of gas within a building or area. After ventilating the building and cycling in fresh, outside air, the PGLD would’ve reported a clean air quality, which granted us access back into the building.

Q: How was it known there was a problem? 

A: During the clearing of the gas lines, two science teachers from E hall came into the classroom and notified the teacher that gas was being smelled throughout the hall.

Q: How did they notify others there was a problem, what did the class do first?

A: The class took no action, as we were dismissed for mod 7, however, after building staff reported various smells of gas, either a teacher or a member of administration pulled the fire alarm and called 911.

Q: What were your feelings when it was happening?

A: I was freezing, and desperately wanted to eat my lunch.

There have been many emergencies in the past too, tons have been recorded by the school newspaper. On November 5th, 2018, for example, the students at Niskayuna High School experienced a 5 and a half hour lockdown. This occurred because a student found a note that threatened to shoot the school. Without access to a bathroom or food and not knowing what could happen, it was sure to  have been scary.  On January 30th, 2019 the power went out of Niskayuna High school, the cause was a blown transformer. With students still at the school for after school activities, this accident didn’t go unnoticed. An emergency in Schenectady where two buildings were destroyed in a horrific fire made its way to Niskayuna High School with students participating in fundraisers. Not only does the High School get affected directly by emergencies, but indirectly too. On December 2, 2008, the fire alarm went off. In the end, it was just a malfunctioning fire alarm in the gym, but that didn’t prevent the chaos of everyone evacuating. Emergencies are prone to happen and throughout the years Niskayuna High School has its own history of emergencies they’ve had to handle. 

Niskayuna High School takes steps that have prevented many emergencies. Unfortunately, emergencies can be inevitable, just a part of life we must handle. This gas leak was just another obstacle students and teachers had to endure but in the end I think if you look, you’ll find there is both good and bad to each situation and you can find the light in this situation too.