Helping Others

To ease any health concerns about returning to campus following the Thomas Fire, please read the following update on our post-fire campus cleaning efforts.

On December 11, we contracted with ASR Property Restoration, a certified, professional fire damage clean-up and restoration company. By December 13, the owner, Kirk Prouse, in consultation with their Industrial Hygienist, detailed a comprehensive plan to clean our campus, which inaugurated with delivery of commercial grade air scrubbers that have been running since and will continue until the campus is given official clearance.

As the ash and smoke were initially so thick, ASR was asked to postpone cleaning until the air quality improved and ash deposits diminished. We wanted to have the campus cleaned as close to the start of school as possible. Our maintenance team, headed by Operations Director Jacqueline Valle, has worked hand-in-hand with ASR to follow all protocols, which are derived from the highest industry standards. In fact, the team of 30 professionals have literally removed every book from every bookshelf and wiped them clean. What follows is a comprehensive list of what has and continues to be done on our campus.

Exterior protocol:

  • Sweep, bag and dispose of visible ash
  • Pressure-wash shingles, walls, walkways, windows, play equipment, lunch tables, lockers, and decks
  • Remove top layer of playground sand, water and till multiple times, add new sand to top
    Inspect sand repeatedly through process for visible signs of fire-related deposits
  • Permanently dispose of soft items unable to be sufficiently cleaned (i.e. sofa from Group C porch)
  • Water playing fields on increased schedule to allow ash to liquify and seep into the earth
  • Wash all school vehicles inside and out

Interior protocol:

  • Vacuum and wipe down all horizontal and vertical surfaces using HEPA vacuums to remove visible fire-related deposits
  • Deodorize porous materials and soft items (paper items, stuffed toys, curtains, etc.) using a medical grade odor eliminator and disinfectant; leaving only water and oxygen behind
  • Launder all linens (items left in lost and found)
  • Wash all reusable air filters
  • Replace all paper air filters with the highest allowed MERV-rated filters per manufacturer recommendations
  • Replace all drinking water filters
  • Clean all carpets and floors
  • Use commercial grade “air scrubbers” via HEPA air filtration in all interior spaces

Jodi Grass
Head of School