Sedalia School District 200 announced via Facebook that Smith-Cotton Junior High School's fire alarm will be undergoing repairs by Nightwatch Security. During the first few days of school there were intermittent false fire alarms indicating issues with the fire alarm system that didn't surface before the start of school.

While the fire alarm is undergoing repairs Smith-Cotton Junior High has assigned Security Officer Rodney Collins as the school's fire watch designee. He is patrolling the building on scheduled rotations until the fire alarm is up and working properly. This is in accordance with the 2015 International Fire Code which was adopted by the City of Sedalia.

According to the code a fire watch is a temporary measure designed to "ensure continuous and systemic surveillance of a building or portion thereof by one or more qualified individuals for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of unwanted fire, raising an alarm of fire and notifying the fire department."

Additionally the school district says, "SCJH staff are aware of the repairs and will notify Officer Collins immediately if any suspicious fire activity is noticed. The Sedalia Fire Department is working closely with us as we address this situation. 

The safety and security of students and staff members is our primary concern, so this matter is being addressed with great urgency. Thank you for your patience during the repair period; we will post a follow-up message when the system is repaired." 

Here is the district's Facebook message:

 

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