LIVERMORE FALLS — The Livermore Falls Middle School was closed to the public on Friday afternoon after the fire alarm system malfunctioned, Fire Chief Gerry Pineau said.

The town's Code Enforcement Officer James Butler Jr. was alerted by e-mail by Seacoast Security on Friday morning that the fire alarm system at the school was not responding when the company did a routine test, Pineau said. Butler called him to alert him.

A repairman was sent to the school Friday afternoon and the alarm system was repaired, Superintendent Sue Pratt said Friday night.  

"We will be checking it this weekend to insure it is still working correctly," she said. "At this point, we believe all is repaired and it was a malfunctioning pull box."

If more problems crop up before Monday, staff and students will be alerted by television and radio news, the same way they are when the school is closed for a snowstorm, School Principal Robert Kahler said.

If an alarm is not responding to the company, then a contingency plan could be put in place involving calling 911 if the alarm goes off, Pineau said. Town officials were working with school officials throughout the day.

But before he put the contingency plan in action, Pineau said he wanted to check the alarm pull stations in the school. That was done and the alarm didn't go off, he said. However, the alarm did go off an hour later, he said.

“Nobody was aware the pull station was not working until we did a physical check,” he said.

Once Pineau knew the alarm was not working properly, he had the school evacuated and called in a fire engine and ladder truck to be on standby. The regular school day had ended but after-school activities were going on, he said. He also called the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal and spoke to Sgt. Ken Grimes to alert him of the malfunction.

Pineau said a decision was made to close the school to the public until the alarm is fixed.

Kahler said the alarm is checked often and had worked previously.

dperry@sunjournal.com