Thursday, April 2, 2015

EXPLOSIONS AND FIRES DURING EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS ARE ON THE RISE: TEACHER BURNED DURING SCIENCE EXPERIMENT IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA






APRIL 4, 2015

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

A chemistry teacher suffered first- and second-degree burns Wednesday while conducting an experiment at Palo Alto High School, according to fire and school officials.

Silja Paymer was teaching and demonstrating at the front of her class when a chemical reaction caused a small fire, Principal Kim Diorio said in a letter to parents. Paymer's clothes and hair caught fire.

"She immediately doused the flame in the emergency showers that are located in all of our science classrooms," Diorio said. "Her quick thinking prevented any additional injuries or damage to the classroom." Students left the room and ran to get help, Diorio said.

Paymer suffered first- and second-degree burns to about 18 percent of her body, said Palo Alto Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin McNally. She was taken to a burn unit for treatment.

"While she was transported for medical services, most of her injuries appear to be first degree burns, and we expect a full recovery," Diorio said.

"The situation could have been much worse were it not for the quick thinking of Ms. Paymer and her students. I can assure you that she did not lose consciousness and in speaking with her, I know she is more concerned about her students' reaction to what they witnessed than her own pain." Diorio said the school is checking in with all of the students in the class to make sure they are feeling OK, to thank them for their help and to reassure them that Paymer is doing well.

According to McNally, firefighters were called to the school at 50 Embarcadero Road around 11:23 a.m. The fire was out by the time they arrived and damaged was limited to some books and papers.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, McNally said.  It is obvious the teacher was careless; the chemical experiments are dangerous and require very careful planning, protective gear, and emergency response measures.  Hopefully her teacher ego is not blown away by this mishap.