Stop, drop and be prepared for residence hall fires
by Jamie Floyd, posted Oct. 16, 2007
Awakening in the early morning to the whining cry of fire alarms is something that may already be too familiar to some MU students. Many freshmen in Graham Hall had their first experience of a residential fire alarm when the smoke alarms were set off during the night not long after moving in this past August.
At around 11 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2007, the residential fire alarms were set off in Graham Hall.
“The first night in my dorm I was woken up by a girl screaming in the hallway and the fire alarm going off,” said Erica Hunt, a freshman journalism major living in Graham Hall. “I thought it was just a prank, so I took my time getting dressed, but when I went into the hallway, I saw what I thought was a huge cloud of white smoke.”
Although that cloud was only the discharge from a fire extinguisher, it looked like smoke to many residents on the second floor of Graham Hall. However, even before leaving their rooms, many students assumed the alarm was not a serious threat.
While most MU students may have experienced a residential fire alarm like this in the past, it is important for students to know the major causes of residential fires at MU and how they can be prepared.
What causes residential fire incidents at MU?
“Ideally only one fire alarm goes off in each residence hall per semester, and that alarm is the fire drill,” said Frankie Minor, director of residential life.
However, sometimes the fire alarm goes off more than once in every residence hall each semester. According to Minor, the typical cause of residential fire alarms is overcooked food in microwaves, usually popcorn or ramen noodles. Another cause is from students trying to disable the alarms, mainly so they can smoke in their rooms.
Rarely are fire alarms set off by lamps, but sometimes when a pillow or other flammable object is set against a hot light bulb or lamp, it can cause burning and smoke.
Are MU residence halls and Greek houses prepared for fires?
All MU residence halls are equipped with fire alarms, although only 10 residence halls, those that have been built or remodeled recently, have sprinkler systems. Older residence halls, such as Graham and Defoe, were built before sprinkler systems were a requirement, and, therefore, do not have them installed. However, residential life plans to install sprinkler systems in all of the older residence halls when they are remodeled.
Sprinkler systems are now a requirement for residential halls at MU because the halls are being built from materials such as plywood. These new materials are much more flammable than the brick that makes up the older residence halls. All residence hall rooms at MU also have fire resistant doors, and the doors to all of the rooms in the newer residence halls close automatically to make them more effective.
MU Greek houses are located off campus, so their fire alarm systems are not regulated by residential life but rather by the city of Columbia. However, according to residential life, all Greek houses have fire alarms in each bedroom and will have sprinkler systems installed by approximately 2013.
Battalion Chief Steve Sapp, fire marshal with the Columbia Fire Department, said the fire alarm systems in MU Greek houses all met the requirements when they were installed, and the systems are being updated as the houses are remodeled, much like the residence halls on campus.
What can MU students do to prevent residential fires?
“The most important thing that students can do to help prevent residential fires is to make sure that they comply with our policies,” Minor said. “Don’t tamper with the fire safety equipment, but don’t hesitate to use it in an emergency.”
Sapp agrees with Minor.
“Be aware of the primary causes of fire; take the necessary precautions and plan and practice fire escape plans,” Sapp said.
MU safety and fire policies can be found in the student Tiger Guide and on the MU Web site. By following these policies, a majority of residential fire incidents can be avoided. Policies are also in place to prevent students from burning candles, smoking in their rooms and using other appliances that are potential fire hazards. Students also need to follow policies about the usage of power strips and try not to overload outlets.
“The number of outlets in some of the older residence halls were meant for the appliances brought to college in the 1940s, not today,” Minor said.
Do MU students take fire alarms seriously?
“Data locally and nationally indicate the most students, including those who reside in a fraternity or sorority, do not respond properly to fire alarms,” Sapp said.
If students intentionally or unintentionally set off fire alarms repeatedly, most students living in that residence will not take alarms as seriously as they should. According to Minor, two years ago the fire alarms were set off in Hudson Hall at least 14 times in one semester. Because these alarms were set off continuously, the residential life staff became concerned that students would stop responding properly to fire alarms.
Residential life conducts fire drills in all residence halls within the first three or four weeks of each semester to prepare students for fire incidents.
While most fire alarm incidents in MU residential halls are unintentional and the result of cooking or unattended appliances, students who set off fire alarms, smoke detectors or fire extinguishers intentionally can face severe punishment from residential life.
According to Minor, students who deliberately tamper with fire equipment or are involved in other fire safety violations may be removed from the residence hall.
Why should MU students be concerned about residential fires?
“Most students don’t think that bad things are ever going to happen to them,” Minor said.
In 2001, a MU Sigma Chi student living in a fraternity house was killed in a residential fire when a candle in his loft bed caught on fire. Although residential fires do not often happen at MU, students should be prepared for any potential residential fires and follow policies to help prevent fires.
If students follow these precautions, fewer nights of sleep will be interrupted by the whining cry of fire alarms and MU residence halls may become a safer place to live.
