False alarm evacuates students from high school

The BluePoint emergency alert system was activated at Bloomfield Hills High School around noon Thursday, December 19, with police departments from around Oakland County immediately arriving on the scene and sweeping the school. Some students were locked down in the building while others were evacuated, per protocol following the district's “run, hide, fight” method, district director of communications and service standards Shira Good said. She said police swept the building and evacuated students one classroom at a time. Some students were evacuated to Bloomfield Township Public Library, a reunification site, where families were informed they could pick up their children. Other children were evacuated to other nearby sites, including LifeTime Fitness on Telegraph Road. “Support staff have been dispatched to the reunification site to support any students who need to speak with someone regarding their experience today. We will have staff available to support the emotional needs of all students,” Good said in a statement. The BluePoint threat alert system is a rapid emergency response system with both a pull down and mobile device alert system that quickly alerts police. The school district and Bloomfield Township police soon determined that the alert was likely a false alarm. “They are looking at surveillance of several students nearby the pole station at that time,” said Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie. Police did two complete sweeps of the school, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Savoie said “there was just about every Oakland County department there, including helicopters and Detroit police. Kids were running across the parking lots. DPW and central fire were set up as trauma centers, if necessary, and staging areas for rapid deployment teams. “The practice and training worked because they moved like clockwork. Teachers and administrators evacuated the school, and bussed them to the library for parents to pick up,” Savoie said.