[PW] Re: Fire drill tune?

[swguardian-stumpers at yahoo.com]

As well as what Bill says, the idea of a fire drill being announced by a school piano would only work in a one room school house where a piano might possibly be heard but it would not be needed in this type situation, as the teacher would simply tell the students to leave. It would not work in other situations because of limited noise penetration of the piano and for this reason, a bell or device that could be heard throughout the school was required to ensure that all would hear and comply. 
   
  Another reason for the improbability of a piano being used is the fact that fire warning devices, before the advent of the automatic fire alarm and intercom system, were largely portable hand held or outside mounted bell(s) that would generate a loud enough sound that could be heard throughout the school and would not require anyone to remain in the danger zone if a fire were in progress. This freed up the teacher(s) to be able to evacuate children quickly.
  

Bill Davis <wmadavis at iglou.com> wrote:
  
Schools in America are run locally, under the supervision of 50 separate 
state governments, so I very much doubt there was a uniform tune being 
played for fire drills throughout the country.

That being said, you might take a look at "Fire Drill," a march by Harry J. 
Lincoln (1909).

Bill Davis

At 09:45 PM 8/7/2006, you wrote:

>I have heard that at one stage, all American schools had fire drills
>once a week, and always used the same tune, played on the school
>piano, to the strains of which the pupils would march out. The 1920s,
>I think, or perhaps earlier. Is this true, and if so, what was the
>tune?
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