Story Archive

This Is Not a Drill

Michelle Hammack was overseeing her napping students at a childcare facility in Arlington, Fla., when she smelled something burning. “I just leaned over and peeked around and there was a fire in the oven,” Hammack said. “And I ran in there and opened it to try to put it out, and the fire alarm started going off.” She ran back, woke her students, and got them outside, leaving them with another teacher while she went back to ensure no other children were inside. “When I got to the third classroom by the kitchen, I could see that it was just a contained fire in the oven,” Hammack said. So, she extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading before the fire department arrived. For her actions, the facility’s owner, Olga Rozhaov, fired Hammack. “I fired her only because she left her room,” Rozhaov explained. “Even though children are sleeping, the teachers are supposed to be there,” she said. “It’s not acceptable, and if anybody else does the same thing, I will fire again. I will fire them. No question.” (MS/WTEV Jacksonville) ...Because it’s more important for the kids to learn to follow the rules than think for themselves when lives are at stake.