In 2018, I was a staff member at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland FL where I experienced a mass shooting at work. The fire alarms sounded due the smoke of the gun, making the sound of fire alarms traumatizing on top of their already deafening volume. This personal experience has led me to advocate for change.

I am calling for all K-12 schools across the nation to pivot towards clear, voiced fire drills of lower volume. This is not just about reducing noise pollution; it's about maintaining emotional regulation during egress and minimizing potential trauma associated with loud noises.

According to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), exposure to sudden and loud noises can trigger anxiety and stress responses especially among children (NIMH). By switching from traditional high-volume alarm systems to clear voiced ones at lower volumes, we can create an environment that is less likely to cause unnecessary distress or panic during emergency evacuations.

When you experience turbulence on a plane, do alarms sound? No, because adding disconcerting noises adds to the dysregulation of people. If the goal is having people stay calm in case of (and during) an emergency, we must understand emotional dysregulation caused by noise.

With my experience during a mass shooting and the noise levels associated with fire drills, having the volume at such a high level was a factor in not being able to communicate with other staff and students during emergency. This created more errors and created an even more unsafe environment. Staff and students have also reported vertigo and hearing concerns post current fire alarms which can reach over 120dB, depending on location and acoustics. 

There are many places around the country that have updated fire drills. For example, Boston International Airport, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgnLA1YTyzc

In places with updated fire drill sounds, the goal of people exiting in a calm manner is reached without trauma. 

With these proposed changes, the Americans with Disabilities Act is still being met using flashing lights for hearing impaired. We can keep drills accessible without being traumatizing. 

This petition seeks your support in advocating for this necessary change. We believe that our staff and student's emotional wellbeing should be prioritized, especially during emergencies. Please sign this petition and help us make our schools safer and more trauma-informed spaces.