DHS Teacher Turns Firefighter

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A quick-thinking Du Quoin High School home ec instructor Wednesday prevented a stovetop fire from flaring up into a bank of window curtains while telling a student to go out into the hallway and "pull the fire alarm."

Du Quoin firemen say some broth simmering in a pan apparently spilled over into a burner drip pan below and caught fire.

Mrs. Stacey quickly assessed what was going on while eyeing the curtains that blanketed a nearby bank of windows.

Had the small fire flared up into the curtains, there would have been no stopping it.

She shut down the burner then went about the work of extinguishing the fire. The timing was perfect insomuch as firemen had instructed staff members on how to extinguish a fire only days ago. Staff members also have locator maps on where the fire alarms are.

Mrs. Stacey worried that the fire could spread and told a student to go out into the hall and pulled the fire alarm. Teachers throughout the building worked knew there was not a practice fire drill planned and relied on their training to get hundreds of students outside.

Du Quoin firemen pulled up to the school immediately, identified where the alarm had come from and went into assist. By that time, Mrs. Stacey had extinguished the stovetop fire.

As required by law, firemen checked the air quality and signaled the school administrators and staff that students could be brought in from the cold.

Some had gone outside in short sleeves without coats, but for the most part were able to huddle with friends outside until they could return to class.