Code blue tornado drill held yesterday

The Blair administration held its first code blue tornado drill yesterday during first period at 7:55 a.m. Assistant Principal Dr. Andrew Coleman spearheaded the exercise, which is a part of a state-wide initiative for increased tornado safety measures, Coleman said.

After the procedure, Coleman announced over the intercom that the practice run was a success. "We finished the drill in 12 minutes," he said. "Thank you students and staff for your cooperation."

Students on the second and third floors made their way down to designated rooms that were regarded as safe from tornados, according to a circulated packet that outlined the safety procedure to staff.

A shift in local weather patterns in recent years has caused area officials to promote drills such as this one with more fervor. "This is not just a Blair or countywide procedure. This is a requirement all over the state," Coleman said. "While it's always been a part of our safety procedures, we are taking tornado drills more seriously now because of an increase in tornados in the past three or four years."

Coleman was proud of the way that administration, staff and students cooperated with each other during this drill. "This is the first time in Blair's history that we've done a tornado drill," Coleman said. "We sent out on [Blair] Private a brief three question survey about how the procedure went." After reviewing comments, Coleman came to the conclusion that most teachers felt that the drill "went smoothly" and was "well-organized," he noted from the actual surveys.

He said that it will be unlikely that there will be another tornado drill before the end of the school year but is confident that this one had an impact on students and staff. "At this point we do not have another drill planned," he said. "But, if we have to have a real [code blue tornado procedure], we're prepared."