‘Impressive’ response to fire call at school
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
Just before 8 p.m. last Wednesday night, the Underwood Fire, Ambulance and Rescue Squad members responded to the Underwood School following a 911 call reporting a possible fire near the weight room on the south side of the school.
The fire call ended up being a best-case scenario as far as a fire goes, as it was determined that one of the fans in the boiler room blower system across from the weight room had seized up, but the motor kept running, burning up a belt. It was the smoke from the burned belt that was going through the duct work into the weight room, not only sending smoke into the weight room but the smell of burned rubber.
Following custodians Val Kinn and Chaw Peterson’s call to Elementary Principal Derrick Gross, they called the fire department, which responded within minutes of the call as the fire alarm in the school was going off.
“That was pretty impressive. When I was leaving my house, I could see they were headed for the department when I was coming here. Just after I got here, the first vehicles showed up,” said Gross.
The fire department responded with several units, including an ambulance and rescue truck as well as fire trucks, but none of them were needed.
“It was just a burned-up belt,” said Gross.
