Opinion | Emergency updates need accuracy
Olivia Harden
Opinions Editor
The Orange County Registerpublished its first story on “the biggest fire to hit Orange County in nearly a decade” at 9:58 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 9. The sky was gray and the sun was bright red. I’ve never seen anything like it. A 15-minute drive from campus, a fire raged on.
My Mondays are pretty lazy. I work all day Sunday laying out the opinions section in The Panther, so I crafted my Mondays so I could work from home until about 3 p.m.. When I walked outside at about 10 a.m. to let my dog out and get the mail, I immediately knew something was wrong.
My eyes started to hurt from being out there for just a hair too long. I called Sparky inside and pondered whether I would be able to make it to my 4 p.m. class, which is The Panther. I don’t have a parking permit, but even though I was concerned for my lungs and eyes, I wasn’t sure how it would go over with my professor if I decided to skip class when campus was still open.
Realistically, this should never have been a concern of mine. The emergency operation plan put together by Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Harold Hewitt and Provost Glen Pfeiffer did not originally have the most current information, and classes weren’t officially canceled until 2:30 pm.
Even though Hewitt wrote in his 1 p.m. email advising that students “who are experiencing health effects due to the smoke from (the) fire use their best judgment as to how to respond,” he also reported that the fire was only 25 acres. Classes were still going on. How well would it go over if I missed class, and how could I let my team of editors down?
But Hewitt’s email did not have the most updated information on the fire. By noon, the blaze was estimated to be about 800 acres, according to Anaheim Fire and Rescue. It’s true that information during a local emergency is not always accessible, but the difference in impact of a 25-acre fire and an 800-acre fire can be seen by the packed health center.
Forty students were seen at the health center on Oct. 9. Two students were worried about ash in their eyes while others were seen for respiratory problems, said Director of Student Health Jacqueline Deats. And although Jess Mandel, a pulmonary health specialist at the University of California, San Diego Department of Medicine, told The Panther that the air quality was “not particularly harmful to the majority,” several students were seen for respiratory issues and cold symptoms that were worsened by the fire. Many students live in the Anaheim Hills area, and I think Chapman should have been more considerate to students who may have had to evacuate.
It’s clear that the administration was concerned about how this fire would affect the campus. But emergencies bring chaos, and it’s important to be as up-to-date on information as possible in order to keep students safe. It’s an unsettling thought to think that some of these injuries could have been avoidable. Students trust Chapman to provide them with credible information that puts their needs first.
Once the school was informed of the worsening conditions, it responded with haste and kept a close eye. Although Hewitt was not able to confirm canceled classes for Oct. 10 until 7:30 a.m., the school took into consideration and responded to all of the concerns of students, including travel and traffic.
As a student, I never want to make the choice between my health and my education. I wish I could say I always pick my health, but let’s be honest: I stay up too late writing papers, I eat in ways that are cheap and convenient, and I know that having a cough is usually a subpar reason to miss a class. I want to be confident in the decisions Chapman make for students regarding classes and concerning my health.