The Barometer Online

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Cory Reed A Corvallis fire truck drives towards Weatherford Residence Hall on Jan. 23 in response to a fire alarm set off by an activated heat detector. A small fire in the building was put out on Jan. 22.

Fire alarms occur fairly often on campus, but whether it's a drill or a false alarm, students should always evacuate the building.
Since Jan. 16, the Corvallis Fire Department has responded to five different fire-related situations on the Oregon State campus.
The first of the five happened in Gilbert Hall with an accidental pull of the alarm. Jim Patton, fire prevention officer, said it was likely a student leaned too close to the alarm. He described these false alarms as annoying, but not a nuisance.
In Weatherford Residence Hall, a small fire was started in the room of two students. Patton said the cause for the fire is unknown and that it resulted in little damage.
In situations such as this, UHDS is in charge of taking action. The students were permanently moved out of their room, and the damage is currently being fixed.
Shortly after the fire in Weatherford, the fire department responded to another alarm in the same building. The heat detector was activated, meaning it reached higher than normal temperatures, Patton said.
The fourth fire-related situation occurred in Buxton Hall with a water-flow alarm. There was a water surge, which didn't last long enough to activate any sprinkler heads.
Lastly, the smoke detector was set off in West Dining Hall after smoke from an exhaust fan in the kitchen accumulated by the detector.
None of these instances were the result of faulty wiring in the buildings. The prevention systems all activated correctly, and the students responded appropriately.
Drew Desilet, safety and inspection coordinator for UHDS, said that each residence hall engages in up to two fire drills per term.
"Fire alarms may be annoying, but it's important that students evacuate the building each time," Desilet said. "You never know what the results of the alarm will be."
In a residence hall like Weatherford, Desilet said the standard evacuation time is roughly four minutes.

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