Tuscaloosa City Schools crew keeps classrooms cool during dangerous heat

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Students with Tuscaloosa City Schools will likely never meet Jay Peterson, but his work keeps classrooms cool during the extreme heat Alabama has been experiencing. Heat so extreme that First Alert Weather Days were declared.

Peterson is one of four HVAC technicians for the Tuscaloosa City School District. On Monday, Aug. 17, as Tuscaloosa saw temperatures as high as 102°F, Peterson checked the inner workings of an air conditioning unit at Central High School.

“It looks like everything is working great in here, so we have no problems,” Peterson told WBRC.

The unit at Central High School is one of 21 across the district that Peterson and his colleagues monitor. He said keeping the units running effectively is not easy.

“Right now it’s a 111° degrees outside with the heat index. Some people want it 65° in their rooms and it does not get that low so that’s what we’re doing, working with these A/C units trying to get them to work effectively,” Peterson said.

Edward Smith III, executive director of facilities for the Tuscaloosa City Schools, said the district has around 10,000 students. Smith and his team of four constantly check A/C units throughout the school district to ensure those students are staying cool.

He said preventive maintenance is key.

“With that being said, it’s happening daily. It’s happening in real time. We respond and do the things we have to do to make sure we have education happening within our schools,” Smith said.

The job sometimes requires technicians to climb on top of school buildings where some of the hardware is located.

“It’s rough. We often take umbrellas with us to get on top of these units and stuff like that. It might be 111° outside but the roof might be 130°,” Peterson said.

School district leaders said they have around 20 portable A/C units available in a worst-case scenario.

“Things break down and things happen, so we have mitigation program, so when something goes down we get emails, work orders. We go out, assess and figure out a way to keep it cool in the district,” Smith said.

Smith and Peterson said the key is being proactive. When the Alabama summer heat is on, they are the first to make sure the cool air never turns hot.

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