Every iPhone in the immediate vicinity had just stopped alarming for a flash flood warning when the fire alarm started to ring. People huddled under umbrellas or hoodies, cursing whatever had dumped them into the downpour. Was it a senior prank? Was it the kitchen or a gummy bear lab experiment?

Anything smoke or heat related can set off a fire alarm, from a fog machine in the theater to an oven in the kitchen, according to security member Stephen Becknal. By law, the high school has to have a fire drill every month. Through the end of March and through April, all the alarms were triggered.

“We had an alarm that was in the kitchen,” Steve Payne said. “Next week, we had another smoke detector alarmed in a janitor’s closet [and] from a smoke detector alarm due to a fog machine [on the stage]. Two days later, we had a smoke detector alarm in a science lab because of an experiment.  The day that it was dumping rain on us, it was a smoke detector in the kitchen.”

There are three locations where one can physically pull the alarm, but there are security cameras pointed at each one. A panel in the main office shows where the original alarm went off, and security cameras can show who or what triggered an alarm. If the alarm during the flood warning had been a prank, the prankster could be facing a long sentence in jail and alternative school or JJAEP.

“If anybody [pulls the alarm], it’s against the law,” Payne said.  “So it’s a serious crime to pull an alarm, mainly for two reasons. First, because it’s a false alarm.  Second, because it is putting everyone at risk and in harm’s way, for something that is false.”

According to Becknal, while the teachers clear the school of students in their classes, security members have designated areas to sweep while simultaneously making sure the exit from the building is calm and orderly. Administers also help security clear the school, and determine the source of the alarm, so they can call the fire department and direct them to the right part of the school. The firemen have special heat detectors that help them determine if there is a fire or not.

“Even though it’s inconvenient at times, it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Payne said. “And we would never have put everybody out in the rain if we didn’t have to.  It was not a drill.  It was an alarm that alerted.  And we followed our protocol.”