20200914 - City of Mount Juliet - School Fire
2521 West Division Street [Mount Juliet Elementary School] - At about 7:10 AM, a Wilson County Sheriff's Office School Resource Officer notified her dispatcher that there was a fire in one of the classrooms. The information was relayed to the City of Mount Juliet Police and Fire Communications center and units were immediately dispatched.
First due was Squad-103 (A Shift), under the command of Lieutenant Mo Sills [1110]. His initial report stated that there was what looked like smoke showing from the A side of the school, somewhat masked by the deployment of numerous dry-chemical fire extinguishers, and that the crew of Squad-103 would be entering Attack Mode.
One 1.75 inch attack line was deployed to the exterior of the building where, what appeared to be an in-wall HVAC unit, had ignited. Firefighters also entered the building and were met by heat, dense smoke, and an activated fire suppression system. Once it was evident that the fire had been extinguished, positive pressure ventilation was requested to be set up at the D side entrance to the building.
It was around this time that Tower-114, under the command of Captain Jason Ross [1101], and Chief of Department Jamie Luffman [Chief-101], Deputy Chief Joseph Edwards [Chief-102], and several volunteer firefighters arrived on this scene. With the arriving of additional resources, members were instructed to shut down the fire suppression system, set up an additional PPV fan, and begin salvage and overhaul.
The fire was contained to a single classroom as was the bulk of the water from the fire suppression system, however some water did make its way under the door and out into the hallway.
Once the building was ventilated and air quality sampling was completed, all staff and students were permitted to reoccupy the building.
This was not the first time one of these HVAC units has caused a fire within this school. On March 19, 2017 there was a nearly identical incident in another classroom at the other end of the school.
Fire Chief / Fire Marshal Jamie Luffman has stated that the fire did originate in the Heating and Air Conditions unit, and that it does not appear to be suspicious. Neither the the School Resource Officer, the teachers, students or any firefighters sustained any injuries associated with the incident.
Thankfully, there were only about 20 students in the school's "kids club" because Mondays are an 'asynchronous' day due to calendar changes resulting from COVID-19.
Read MoreFirst due was Squad-103 (A Shift), under the command of Lieutenant Mo Sills [1110]. His initial report stated that there was what looked like smoke showing from the A side of the school, somewhat masked by the deployment of numerous dry-chemical fire extinguishers, and that the crew of Squad-103 would be entering Attack Mode.
One 1.75 inch attack line was deployed to the exterior of the building where, what appeared to be an in-wall HVAC unit, had ignited. Firefighters also entered the building and were met by heat, dense smoke, and an activated fire suppression system. Once it was evident that the fire had been extinguished, positive pressure ventilation was requested to be set up at the D side entrance to the building.
It was around this time that Tower-114, under the command of Captain Jason Ross [1101], and Chief of Department Jamie Luffman [Chief-101], Deputy Chief Joseph Edwards [Chief-102], and several volunteer firefighters arrived on this scene. With the arriving of additional resources, members were instructed to shut down the fire suppression system, set up an additional PPV fan, and begin salvage and overhaul.
The fire was contained to a single classroom as was the bulk of the water from the fire suppression system, however some water did make its way under the door and out into the hallway.
Once the building was ventilated and air quality sampling was completed, all staff and students were permitted to reoccupy the building.
This was not the first time one of these HVAC units has caused a fire within this school. On March 19, 2017 there was a nearly identical incident in another classroom at the other end of the school.
Fire Chief / Fire Marshal Jamie Luffman has stated that the fire did originate in the Heating and Air Conditions unit, and that it does not appear to be suspicious. Neither the the School Resource Officer, the teachers, students or any firefighters sustained any injuries associated with the incident.
Thankfully, there were only about 20 students in the school's "kids club" because Mondays are an 'asynchronous' day due to calendar changes resulting from COVID-19.
