Fire Plan Established for Norwood Classrooms Without PA System, Fire Alarm

WARWICK, RI — Warwick Schools have established a supplementary fire plan to cover areas of Norwood Elementary School where the building’s PA system can’t be heard, leaving people in those spaces unaware in the event of a fire for the last several weeks after fire alarms there broke.

Thursday night, the Norwood PTA met with Superintendent Phil Thornton, Lynn Dambruch, director of elementary education, Ryan Mullen, math and science coordinator, and Norwood Principal John Gannon.

“We were told that we would have an emergency plan presented to teachers by 9 a.m. this morning. This plan would be to subsidize the intercom system as the intercom system is not heard in all parts of the building,” said Stephanie Roberts Shelton, Norwood PTA president elect, on Friday.

“I am not trying to be difficult but there is a classroom (a sensory area) that does not have an intercom. The intercom is not heard in the restrooms. If the students have music, instrumental, or any other class where the noise level is loud, they will not hear an intercom. If power goes out, there is no intercom and no phone.  Teachers were given permission to have their cell phones on during the day as a back up but this cannot be the plan,” Roberts Shelton said.

The plan was delivered late Friday afternoon at about 4 p.m.: Norwood School Fire Plan Update