thomas fire Archives

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

The Oak Grove staff is grateful to the thousands of firefighters, good neighbors, first responders, and volunteers who continue to work so hard preserving life and property. Two fire crews are currently being hosted on our campus. We are caring for them well with food, coffee, and sleeping accommodations.

This week all of our parents received a direct communication from their child’s teacher providing options to mitigate the loss of school days. They also shared reminders about listening and talking with children to help them to reflect on recent events. Elementary, Junior High and High School teachers have offered optional academic resources and learning suggestions for students to do over the winter break. End-of-term reports will go out on time and senior transcripts will make their way to colleges and universities.

When we return in January, teachers will support opportunities in the classroom for our students to reflect on their experiences with the Thomas Fire. For now, the priority is that your family has time to rest and recover.

Our community has experienced something that has possibly caused us to, in the words of poet Mary Oliver, “pay attention” and “be astonished.” Her poem also invites us to “tell about it.” In January we will be compiling a school-wide Community Scrapbook, a collection of our individual experiences of the Thomas Fire. We have asked all of our secondary students to write a personal reflection piece (prose or poetry) on their experience while it is still fresh in their hearts and minds. We’d like to invite all families to do the same. You can do an individual reflection or create an individual family page and include a photo or drawing. Don’t worry about formatting — we’ll put it together. You can work with younger children by having them dictate their stories and/or draw pictures. Submit the reflection with digital photos or scanned drawings between now and January 15th to Meredy Benson Rice.

Amidst the chaos of recent events, our seniors continue to complete college applications and prepare for the trip to India. They depart on December 27 and return late in January. Let’s wish them well on this incredible opportunity to explore a rich and vibrant culture and to make connections with our sister schools.