To the Editor:
We would like to thank Tim Sacco for his letter to the editor on March 9 expressing his concern about the fire alarms that sounded in the HUB during the first week in March. We are glad to see when students share a concern about issues on campus and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.
The HUB has experienced three fire alarms since the beginning of March:
March 1st at 7:10 PM, March 5th at 8:40 PM and March 7th at 9:55 AM.
After reviewing the available information concerning the alarms we are confident that two of these (3/5/07 and 3/7/07) were smoke detector activations. The other alarm (3/1/07) is also believed to be a smoke detector. We assume this, but can not verify it, because it cleared before the fire department or Physical Plant could respond. No other type of alarm would have cleared by itself.
At this point it is impossible to determine the exact cause of these smoke detector activations. We believe it was either smoke from the fireplace or dust. There were no defective smoke detectors found and no evidence of smoke or dust by the time the Fire Department arrived.
Smoke detectors are designed to detect particles in the air. Those particles could be smoke (from the fireplace, from cooking, from somebody smoking, or from an uncontrolled fire), from dust in the air (possibly tracked in from sand) or from moisture. What we do know is that the smoke detectors in the HUB worked as they are designed to work. They activated when something told them to.
What is not working, however, is the response of many individuals to these alarms. In recent incidents in the HUB, both the Fire Department and the HUB staff have witnessed a lack of response on the part of some of the occupants. The HUB staff reacts properly, but some of the other occupants do not. It is important to remember that evacuation is not a choice, it is an order. The PSU Student handbook specifically states that “individuals are responsible for responding to an evacuation and exiting any campus building themselves.”
When a fire alarm goes off in a building, evacuate, unless an official from the Fire Department tells you otherwise. Please don’t bet your life that an alarm is not a real fire. Recent fire deaths in Boston and now in New York sadly illustrate the importance of quick evacuations. Please remember that when fire alarms do sound on campus it truly is better to be safe than sorry.
Mark Anderson – Manager of Maintenance Operation
Tammy Hill – EHS Coordinator