Feeling very violated today

[Stigmorgan]

So, some may know and some may not know that I am a school caretaker that lives on site, on Sunday evening around 18:30 the school alarm sounded, the app on my phone indicated that it was from one of our yr6 classrooms, I grabbed my keys and went over to the yr5 and 6 building and into the classroom where the activation was caused, I found a clock on the floor so figured it had fallen off the wall and triggered the alarm so I picked it up and put it on the table to fix and put back up on Tuesday then locked up and reset the alarm, about an hour later the alarm triggered again from the other yr6 classroom, so again I grabbed my keys and went out to have a look, on arrival the classroom seemed fine, windows were shut nothing on the floor, it's been almost a year since the motion sensor batteries were last replaced so thought the batteries may be running low and causing the false alarms, it's what happened last time the batteries started to die so I locked up again set the alarm and went back home. Fast forward to this morning opening up I saw nothing out of the ordinary, about 8.30 the Head Teacher comes to me saying someone has been in the yr6 classrooms, our yr5 and 6 classrooms have fire escape doors at the back of the classrooms and the door to the room that first triggered the alarm was slightly ajar and both classroom cupboards had been ransacked, fortunately nothing of value was taken and no real damages but I'm left with a very uneasy feeling that whoever it was must have still been in the building the first time I attended. We also discovered this morning that the outside handle to that fire escape was not locked so it could be opened from outside, luckily I managed to find keys for the doors in a big box of random keys I have so the outer handle is now locked but nobody knows how long the door has been unlocked so I've got to look at getting the 4 locks changed.
The lack of theft and damages indicates to us that it was probably only 1 child (probably a previous or even current pupil) but even so the outcome could have been a nightmare if they had panicked or decided to attack me from behind, I'm a big guy and can handle myself if need be but a chair or worse round the back of the head isn't something you get up from quickly.

 

[Inspector]

Consider getting a well trained dog and the instruction to handle it. It doesn't have to be a vicious attack beast. Just one that will sound off when you are in the building after hours to warn you.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Or if your school is like ours, a panther.

 

[Stigmorgan]

I have 3 dogs but would never put them in danger, I always check the outside of the building first before going in, I just didn't notice that the fire escape door was slightly open so thought it safe to go in, today we amended our lone working policy to include alarm call outs, from now on when entering the building we will call one of the other caretakers, as we are an academy there 10 schools within our group, one of the schools is a 20 minute walk up the road so I will now call that caretaker, and likewise he would call me if he needed to go out to an alarm.

 

[Lorenzl]

I have 3 dogs but would never put them in danger, I always check the outside of the building first before going in, I just didn't notice that the fire escape door was slightly open so thought it safe to go in, today we amended our lone working policy to include alarm call outs, from now on when entering the building we will call one of the other caretakers, as we are an academy there 10 schools within our group, one of the schools is a 20 minute walk up the road so I will now call that caretaker, and likewise he would call me if he needed to go out to an alarm.

That makes good sense @Stigmorgan

 

[macca]

Glad to hear they have been swift to implement some form of safer practise. Might I suggest a bigger flash light, something with a bit of weight to it just incase

 

[Jameshow]

How about turning something with a bit of weight which is to hand but not fully finished!

Perhaps they should look at security patrols or ask the police to drive by if possible?

 

[Stigmorgan]

How about turning something with a bit of weight which is to hand but not fully finished!

Perhaps they should look at security patrols or ask the police to drive by if possible?

Our alarm is monitored so I get a phone call when it is activated but they don't stay on the line for long and the call can come immediately as the alarm goes off or up to 15minutes after.

 

[Ttrees]

Sounds like they won't be back, unless theirs valuables in there.
If not, probably just kids, I'd sooner just let them escape with open doors and no lights and have a cuppa with the three amigos whilst listening to some suitable music playlist
Can think of a few apt Lizzy tunes which might do the trick, possibly better if played loud before entry.

Maybe or maybe not

 

[Bingy man]

It’s possible they were not in the classroom but nearby watching and waiting to see who turns up after opening the door - security, police or yourself. You were probably not in any real danger but of course these days you never know- 2 attending an alarm sounds like a good idea for future call outs .

 

[Stigmorgan]

It’s possible they were not in the classroom but nearby watching and waiting to see who turns up after opening the door - security, police or yourself. You were probably not in any real danger but of course these days you never know- 2 attending an alarm sounds like a good idea for future call outs .

If they were outside watching then the 2nd alarm activation would have been from the same room as the first where the door was open but as the 2nd activation was from the motion sensor in the classroom nextdoor they must have been in there.

 

[Geoff_S]

I was one of 3 key holders for the company I worked for on the basis that I only lived 5 miles away. If the alarm went off, it was my job to drive in and check it.

OK, first problem. As a key holder I could never risk having a drink at home.

Second problem came to light when the alarm went off. Bloody annoying, but off I went to sort it out. Apparently the police would meet me there. On arrival I went into the offices, no police there, just me. WTAF was I supposed to do if there had have been someone there? More to the point, what might they do to me?!

Next day I gave them the keys back.

Bingy Man hits the nail on the head. 2 people at the very least ...

 

[dickm]

A less serious but relevant story which I may have told before. We are second call on the list for our neighbour's alarm company, so when the alarm went off about 3 in the morning while they were on holiday, I did the decent thing. Flung on dressing gown and safety boots which are by the door and quickest item of footware to put on. As it was high summer, it was full daylight, so went round the house outside and couldn's see anything obvious. Reset the alarm, and was walking back along the drive when the police turned up. I explained what I'd done, but they insisted on repeating everything. Obviously thought I was an accomplice! Burglars always wear pyjamas and safety boots up here.
Neighbour is very houseproud, and was very reluctant to believe that it could have been a spider activated the alarm until I pointed out the web near one sensor.

 

[Lefley]

So, some may know and some may not know that I am a school caretaker that lives on site, on Sunday evening around 18:30 the school alarm sounded, the app on my phone indicated that it was from one of our yr6 classrooms, I grabbed my keys and went over to the yr5 and 6 building and into the classroom where the activation was caused, I found a clock on the floor so figured it had fallen off the wall and triggered the alarm so I picked it up and put it on the table to fix and put back up on Tuesday then locked up and reset the alarm, about an hour later the alarm triggered again from the other yr6 classroom, so again I grabbed my keys and went out to have a look, on arrival the classroom seemed fine, windows were shut nothing on the floor, it's been almost a year since the motion sensor batteries were last replaced so thought the batteries may be running low and causing the false alarms, it's what happened last time the batteries started to die so I locked up again set the alarm and went back home. Fast forward to this morning opening up I saw nothing out of the ordinary, about 8.30 the Head Teacher comes to me saying someone has been in the yr6 classrooms, our yr5 and 6 classrooms have fire escape doors at the back of the classrooms and the door to the room that first triggered the alarm was slightly ajar and both classroom cupboards had been ransacked, fortunately nothing of value was taken and no real damages but I'm left with a very uneasy feeling that whoever it was must have still been in the building the first time I attended. We also discovered this morning that the outside handle to that fire escape was not locked so it could be opened from outside, luckily I managed to find keys for the doors in a big box of random keys I have so the outer handle is now locked but nobody knows how long the door has been unlocked so I've got to look at getting the 4 locks changed.
The lack of theft and damages indicates to us that it was probably only 1 child (probably a previous or even current pupil) but even so the outcome could have been a nightmare if they had panicked or decided to attack me from behind, I'm a big guy and can handle myself if need be but a chair or worse round the back of the head isn't something you get up from quickly.

A clock on the floor. I was an alarm tech in my former years, a falling clock would not trip a motion detector nor a glass break alarm. You need two things to trip a motion detector, a heat that is different then ambient room temperature and movement. Both within a short time span or motion detector resets without tripping. So a falling clock would be at the same temperature of the room so it would not trip the motion detector. If this fail safe was not built in you would have thousands of false alarms every night in areas, from stuff falling off desks, ie a pencil when a train passes a building or big truck. We use to go into false alarms and as soon as you seen big stuff that fell by itself, you usually new to phone police as someone was probably hiding, or your looking for a stray cat!

 

[Lefley]

I have 3 dogs but would never put them in danger, I always check the outside of the building first before going in, I just didn't notice that the fire escape door was slightly open so thought it safe to go in, today we amended our lone working policy to include alarm call outs, from now on when entering the building we will call one of the other caretakers, as we are an academy there 10 schools within our group, one of the schools is a 20 minute walk up the road so I will now call that caretaker, and likewise he would call me if he needed to go out to an alarm.

My lab would bark, but from behind me looking through my legs. Up at 4:30 this morning, warm outside, blowing wind, dark, trees rustling. Dog stands on deck, looks around. Nope, I’ll wait til light to go pee. Might be something out there hiding.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Sounds like you have had a lucky escape - it may not feel like it.

Perhaps sit and brainstorm for an hour or so. Have a good think about site and all the old / new / weird doors, gates, windows and locks. Are there any others that might 'slip through the net' and get left unopened? Is it time to change codes on doors and padlocks that have been the same for twenty years?

Are there any paint marks or etching you can do to see if those exits have been unlocked without you having to check them every day (I bet someone else has a key).

I don't mean to be rude - but think about your job and income as well. A different headteacher might have taken a dim view of doors not being locked and taken disciplinary procedures. Might be a good time to review everything with the school being empty soon for summer.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Another couple of thoughts:

If you have several buildings - when you unlock in the morning - Imagine its an alarm call. Most of your buildings will have a perfectly good entry point and a big bank of light switches by the door that will light up the room. I bet there are one or two buildings that have been extended / altered / rewired and the switches are in silly places. You might need to sit and think those ones through carefully. eg I need to enter the Nursery block through the office door and not the main door when it's an alarm call out - gives me a better view of the room and all the light switches are right next to the door. Would wedging the doors open be a good move? Clear exit for you or for a panicking burglar (better than them attacking you)

Can you or the school get a bodycam? Totally impractical when the kids are there in the day, but something to clip on when you grab your keys. People react very differently if their face has already been photographed and they are being recorded.

For lone working - are there distress buttons / panic buttons that you can carry? I think some smartphones have some built in functions that you can enable.
Or even an old pay as you go brick phone that slips in your pocket if your shiny smartphone is taken. Three little words app is good for directing people to your exact location if you are injured but can speak.

Can the police / paramedics gain entry to your site if you are hurt but make a 999 call? Could taken another ten minutes for fire brigade to arrive - do you have an access point for the emergency services (Are fire brigade keys still a thing?)

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

Glad to hear they have been swift to implement some form of safer practise. Might I suggest a bigger flash light, something with a bit of weight to it just incase

With strobe. A bright LED strobe is very disorienting and gives you time to get away.

 

[Bingy man]

If they were outside watching then the 2nd alarm activation would have been from the same room as the first where the door was open but as the 2nd activation was from the motion sensor in the classroom nextdoor they must have been in there.

I see what your saying now - my mistake as I had mis read part of your post - bit of a brain glitch, glad you are ok tho..

 

[Stigmorgan]

My lab would bark, but from behind me looking through my legs. Up at 4:30 this morning, warm outside, blowing wind, dark, trees rustling. Dog stands on deck, looks around. Nope, I’ll wait til light to go pee. Might be something out there hiding.

All 3 of mine are the same