An Interview with Kevin Donnelly
Division Chief/Fire Marshal Lodi Fire Department
(The Larson School Fire)

Download Fire Dept Incident Report Below

I want to thank Chief Donnelly for taking time out his busy day to discuss the Larson School fire. Nobody needs to be reminded that all firemen are first responders who put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe and secure. Without a doubt our firemen are heroes all.


Closson: When is it appropriate for "anyone" to abort a fire drill while a school is in session?

Donnelly: "Never! As far as Lodi's Fire Department is concerned a fire alarm should never be aborted under any circumstances. During a fire drill all persons must evacuate the building in accordance with fire drill procedures. There are no exceptions."

Closson: Are you aware that the Principal at Larson School last month aborted a fire alarm as she assumed it was a false alarm resulting from a pulled alarm?

Donnelly: "The Department's investigation is not fully complete yet. I prefer not to comment. However, I need to correct you on something. The Larson fire alarm was not generated as a result of a pull, false or otherwise. The Larson School fire alarm was triggered by a smoke sensor and was automatic. Nobody pulled anything that I know of ... the fire alarm was a result of a real fire."

Closson: What is the purpose of a fire drill in a public school?

Donnelly: "To know what to do during a fire. To know how to evacuate buildings in a safe orderly fashion."

Closson: What are the fire drill steps that must or should be taken by Lodi schools?

Donnelly: "Like I said, the fire drill is practiced to ensure that everyone knows what to do in case of a fire emergency. On hearing the fire alarm, students must be instructed to leave the building, single file and in a calm and orderly manner; the teacher or the person in charge of each class must indicate to the students the exit route to be used and proceed to a predetermined assembly point."

Closson: Is that assembly point always outside?

Donnelly: "Yes, of course. The assemble point is outside, preferably close to road access and away from all buildings. No one is allowed to stay in the building and no one is allowed to go back into the building. The assembly point must be far enough away from the heat and smoke, assuming there are any."

Closson: Do you know if the area designated as the assembly points were used properly?

Donnelly: " I don't have any specific information about that … you may need to check with others within the Department."

Closson: What happens next during a fire emergency?

Donnelly: "That would depend on the specific circumstances of the fire since at some point, early on, a roll call needs to be taken. Usually the teacher or some other school employee has the responsibility to make sure a roll call has been completed. Again, someone must ascertain if everyone is out of the building and is accounted for."

Closson: What happens after the roll call has been completed?

Donnelly: "The person or persons in charge of the roll call should immediately identify themselves to the fire crew and let them know that everyone is accounted for or if anyone is missing."

Closson: Have you contacted anyone at Lodi Unified School District about the aborted fire drill?

Donnelly: "I am not specifically aware of any contact. However, an investigation is still on-going."

Closson: Do you know of any plans that are in the works to hold seminars regarding proper fire drill procedure with Lodi Unified School District and their administrators?

Donnelly: "I am not presently aware of any."

Closson: Should L.U.S.D. have a proper fire drill procedure in place and make sure it's being implemented?

Donnelly: "Well, I am sure the Lodi Schools have procedures in place. Whether they are following those procedures … I really can't speak to that."

Closson: Thank you sir.

It should be noted that Catherine Pennington, Assistant Superintendent of Lodi Unified School District was offered an opportunity to answer these same questions and declined that opportunity.



Summation and commentary:

Clearly, some mistakes were made during the Larson fire drill. The Principal should have never aborted the fire drill on an assumption it was a false pull. Any firefighter will tell you, seconds count. Had it not been for the heroics of Mr. Funge, what appears to have been an insignificant mistake could have become a tragic conflagration.

The Principal, Cheryl Nilmeyer stated: " His quick thinking (Mr. Funge) saved the entire school. Adding, "The fire could have spread into the ceiling and from there could have blazed throughout the entire school."

What hasn't been said, but must be said is: Were lives unnecessarily placed in danger? It seems as if the question has already been asked and answered. Ms. Nilmeyer's mistake was not a fatal mistake, but certainly could have been.

Most parents reading this commentary must shutter to think what would have happened without Mr. Funge and Mr. Morgan's efforts to put out the blaze before it spread. It should be noted that Mr. Morgan had to be transported to Lodi Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation. Needless to say, it could have been much worse. What if both Messrs. Funge and Morgan would have been overcome by the fire's smoke instead of putting it out? The outcome of that very real possibility is almost too horrific to comprehend, yet we must.

It is important to talk about the "what if's", even if the Lodi School District would prefer not to. Is it important to think about or discuss what could have happened, but did not, even though it is an inconvenient and painful truth.

In my view, this is no difference in the fire drills we have all experienced throughout our lives. Ask any Third Grader the purpose of a fire drill and they will tell you: "It is to make sure everyone knows what to do in case of a real fire." This was a real fire with real smoke and real danger. The only acceptable response was real action. L.U.S.D. must review its policies and procedures and ensure they are implemented with complete fidelity.

I recommend Lodi Unified conduct a real investigation and get some real answers to these very important questions about our children's safety. The Lodi Unified School Board's ultimate responsibility is not just education, it's the safety of our children.

By law, we give up the custody of our children to the State, the District and the School, something they call In Loco Parentis. Literally and legally speaking the School becomes the parent cloaked with the same level of responsibility for safety and security of our children. As administrators, teachers, parents and citizens we must know that our children are safe. We must know that those charged with In Loco Parentis know exactly what to do in the event of an emergency, each time, every time.

I call upon the Lodi Unified School Board to take the initiative to make sure that all 50 schools, all 29,000 students, are safe and secure every day they attend a Lodi school. I call upon the Board to revisit each and every emergency plan, policy and procedure and make sure every administrator, teacher and student knows how to react in any emergency.

We dodged a disaster at Larson School last month. After years of practice drills, when a "real" fire alarm sounded the Administrator in charge assumed it was "false" and more than 700 children were told to remain in their seats. Lesson learned? We can never again risk our children's lives on an assumption or the heroics of a teacher and a custodian who happened to be at the right place at the right time. Our children's lives are at stake … there is no margin for error.

larson-fire.pdf (326 KB, 46 downloads) LFD Incident Report