Fire drill cuts sixth period short

Fire Drill

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Before the drill, Principal Philip Gainous announced the need for students to cooperate and remain diligent to ensure everyone's safety.

The building was evacuated in six minutes and 15 seconds. Students crowded shoulder-to-shoulder around the football stadium's side entrance to squeeze through the gate, and everyone was in the stadium in 10 minutes and 13 seconds, according to Safety Committee sponsor Mark Curran. Last year, Curran said that 10 percent of students were marked absent from the drills.

The fire drill was postponed twice this week due to adverse weather conditions, according to Gainous' secretary Cherrie Avery. Even though the field was still wet, Blair had to proceed with plans. "We have got to get [the fire drill] done," said Avery. MCPS requires schools to have at least 10 fire drills per school year.