The school's fire alarm went off at about 10 a.m. Friday, said Loudon County school board member Lisa Russell. Greenback Volunteer Fire Chief Ronnie Lett then swept the building and determined there was nothing wrong, she said.
Students and staff then allowed everyone to enter the building and the alarm went off again, Russell said. Officials tried one more time, she said.
The alarms were
disrupting classroom instruction, and officials decided to call
off school at 10:30 a.m., Russell said. Firefighters could have
been put on a fire watch, but cafeteria workers had not been
able to prepare lunch, she said. “Everybody reacted quickly and
correctly. I think they made the right decision.”
Gallaher & Associate officials were continuing to work on the
fire alarm as of 2 p.m., Russell said. The fire system had three
trouble areas and workers had already repaired one area, she
said.