Scenario Description: It is mid-January and the weather is below freezing outside. At a high school, half the classes are in session and half have just gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Teacher Smith is conducting history class. Teacher Jones is in the cafeteria having lunch with her class.
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| Role | Dialog |
| Narrator | It is mid-January and the weather is below freezing outside. At a high school, half the classes are in session and half have just gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Teacher Smith is conducting history class. Teacher Jones is in the cafeteria having lunch with her class. |
| Jake | (in the cafeteria) Lunch time! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse! |
| Cindy | I think I’ll get a tossed salad with Ranch dressing and some water. |
| Bobby | (in history class) Why do we have to learn about World War II (WWII)? That was, like, over 65 years ago! |
| Sherry | Bobby, don’t you know the famous quote, “Those who don’t study the past are doomed to repeat it”? |
| Bobby | Yeah, yeah. But I still repeat my ques… |
| Narrator | Suddenly an obstreperous buzzing noise starts sounding continuously throughout the school. Fire alarm lights on the walls begin flashing their bright white strobe lights. |
| Smith | (in history class) Okay, students, we have a fire alarm! Please calmly follow me out of the building to our designated assembly areas. Leave all your belongings on your desk. Take a coat or jacket if you have one. It’s going to be cold standing outside for a while. |
| Jones | (in the cafeteria) Okay, students, please give me your attention. We need to evacuate for a fire emergency. Please follow me single-file and remain calm and quiet, please. |
| Narrator | Both teachers lead their respective lines of students out into the school parking lot towards different assembly areas. There are other lines of students streaming out of all doors as other teachers lead their classes outside as well. The teachers begin calling their students to them and doing a roll call to make sure all students are accounted for. All the teachers send students to report the results to the principal, who is also out in the parking lot in his designated location with his front office staff. The sound of a firetruck siren can be heard in the distance. Soon a firetruck arrives. The Fire Chief jumps off the firetruck, sees the principal waving at him, and begins jogging over to the principal. Heavy black smoke is rising from one part of the building. This is definitely NOT a false alarm! |
| Principal | Chief, we’re missing one student, a deaf girl named Helen! She may still be inside! |
| Chief | Understood, sir. We’ll spread out and do a quick building search and try to find her while we’re setting up to fight the fire. I’m starting to see some flames above the roof. The fire’s spreading quickly. Are there any combustibles or explosive materials in that part of the building? |
| Principal | That looks like the Electrical Maintenance Room area. No, there shouldn’t be anything flammable in that area that I can think of. |
| Chief | Good. Thanks for the information. We’ll keep an eye out for Helen. Gotta go! (He heads towards his firetruck where his men are unrolling fire hoses.) |
| Narrator | The students are all standing with their arms folded around themselves, shivering in the cold. They are all chatting animatedly, this being the most fun and excitement they’ve had at school in a while. Some lucky students are clearly delighted that their tests got interrupted by the fire. |
| Helen | (in the restroom brushing her hair) Hm, looks like I have the restroom to myself today. I wonder where everyone is? (Outside the restroom door, a fire alarm light is flashing and the fire alarm is deafening, but Helen is oblivious to it all.) |
| Chief | Okay, you four men, split into pairs, enter the building with your hoses on both sides of the fire, and start suppressing it so it can’t spread. You two men, come with me. We have to try to find a deaf girl. |
| Narrator | Helen begins to smell smoke. She looks towards the restroom door and sees smoke coming in from under it. She goes to open the door but it is very hot to the touch. She backs away in a panic. |
| Helen | Oh, my God! The school’s on fire and I’m trapped in the restroom. (There is no window in the restroom and therefore there’s no escape. As the smoke begins to get thicker, she dampens some paper hand towels and holds them over her mouth to help her breathe easier.) |
| Chief | (going from room to room pushing doors open) Anyone here!? Anyone here!? |
| Narrator | Meanwhile the firemen are fighting the fire. They have stopped it from spreading and are now sweeping their fire hoses back and forth at the bottom of the burning flames. Helen begins coughing. She is having trouble breathing. She lies down on the floor to get below the smoke. Suddenly she sees the restroom door burst open, and a man steps in briefly. She can see his mouth moving. He’s checking for stranded students! |
| Helen | (jumping up) Here! Here! Over here! Help me! Don’t leave me! |
| Chief | (He sees her right before he’s about to spin around and leave the restroom.) Helen! Don’t worry! We’ll get you to safety! (He hands her an oxygen mask and she puts it on. He picks her up and carries her out of the building and takes her back to the principal.) |
| Principal | (upon seeing the Chief coming out with Helen in his arms) Helen! Thank God! |
| Chief | Here, sir. I believe you lost this… (cracking a smile at his poor attempt at humor) |
| Principal | We did indeed, and we are very happy to have her back! (The principal and Helen hug each other tightly.) |
| Narrator | All the kids begin cheering and whistling when they see that the Fire Chief has just rescued Helen. The Chief looks around and sees that the fire is getting smaller and the smoke is getting less. |
| Chief | Looks like the fire is under control, but it’s going to be at least another 30 to 60 minutes before it’s safe to go back into the school. |
| Principal | It looks like we’ll have to call it a day and send everyone home then. I’m sure the students will be heart-broken to hear that. (Both men laugh together.) |
| Principal | Attention, students! School is adjourned! You can call your parents or wait for us to call the school buses! (I’ll call Helen’s parents myself, he thought to himself.) |
| Narrator | A loud cheer arises from the gathering of students as soon as they hear that school is adjourned. Yes! |
