WHEELING, W.Va. –

Administrators at Wheeling Park High School, along with the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency and local law enforcement, gathered Thursday Morning to discuss the schools new evacuation plan.

“We’ve always had a plan in place, and that was for our school busses to take the students, faculty and staff to the White Palace, but we are now too big for that area, said Principal Bernie Dolan.

Assistant Principal Katrina Lewis presented the plan today to Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms, WesBanco Arena Executive Director Dennis Magruder, Wheeling Police and School Resource Officer Sgt. Bill Criswell, School Transportation Director Gary Kestner, and EMA Director Lou Vargo.

The plan would now call for all buses to assemble at WPHS, for a fire alarm to activate for all students to meet in the back parking lot and then transport everyone to WesBanco Arena.

“When you have 1,700 students and 200 faculty and staff members, you need a place that can handle that many people. WesBanco Arena is one of the few places in Wheeling that can hold that many,” said EMA Director Lou Vargo.

While an evacuation has never had to be ordered or happened at WPHS, Dolan said there have been close calls.

“Back in Sept. 2004, when Hurricane Ivan moved through, we had students from other schools that had to evacuate and come up here, so the plan was sort of reversed,” said Dolan.

School officials and local authorities will reconvene in a month or so to work out any kinks in the plan before creating their final draft.