A Waldoboro Police Department cruiser is parked outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Mill Street in Waldoboro after a fire alarm forced the school to evacuate to the post on Friday, March 18. (Alexander Violo photo)
A fire alarm forced a brief evacuation of Miller School in Waldoboro the morning of Friday, March 18.
The Waldoboro Fire Department responded to the school and determined the alarm had not been triggered by fire or smoke.
Medomak Middle School Assistant Principal Beth Ahlholm said students went across the street to the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Mill Street, per the school’s evacuation plan.
Ahlholm said the school’s security system provider had been contacted and was en route to the school to determine the cause of the alarm and make a diagnosis.
Waldoboro Assistant Fire Chief William Maxwell said when it was determined the alarm system could not be reset, the decision was made to move the children from the building while the alarm system was down.
He said the school followed its emergency evacuation plan, with students waiting at the nearby VFW post while the alarm issues were sorted out.
“The students followed the plan precisely and the staff did a wonderful job,” Maxwell said.
Maxwell said representatives of Northeast Security responded to the scene, found the problem, fixed the detectors, turned the alarm system on, and tested the alarms a few times to ensure they were back in working order.
“As soon as we felt it was okay we let the kids return to the school,” Maxwell said.
The assistant chief said everything went smoothly throughout the response and fire crews cleared the scene around 11 a.m.
Lincoln County Communications paged the Waldoboro Fire Department shortly before 9:30 a.m.
The Waldoboro Police Department also responded to and assisted at the scene.
