This semester alone, the Department of Safety and Security responded to about 40 fire alarms on campus. Five of these alarms have been at Brunswick Apartments and five at Chamberlain Hall.
So why are there so many fire alarms going off if there aren't any fires?
The alarms set up in each building on campus are highly sensitive. There are obvious triggers such as candles, incense, smoking, and, of course, people manually pulling the alarm. However, many other factors can trigger the alarm. A majority of the alarms received by the Communications Center on campus have been set off by burnt popcorn or other food in residences and campus buildings.
Five times this semester, hair-care items have caused an alarm to go off. The culprit: hair straighteners, which can easily overheat. This may occur while someone is straightening her hair or even afterwards, when the straightener has been unplugged. The smoke or steam created by the overheating can set off a fire alarm.
In one instance, hair spray was a culprit. According to Manager of Environmental Health and Safety Mark Fisher, aerosol sprays can trigger an alarm. The alarms respond not only to smoke but also to particulates. So when hair spray or other aerosol products are sprayed, they can activate the alarm.
There are two alarm systems in effect on campus, the Metasys system and the Siebe system. Every building on campus is equipped with one of the two systems. They both essentially work the same way, detecting smoke and particulates that are not supposed to be in the air.
Three buildings on campus have newer versions of alarms in place: East Hall, West Hall, and Coles Tower. Assistant Director of Security Louann Dustin-Hunter said that these dorms are equipped with localized alarms. This means that an alarm will not sound throughout the entire building if only one room or area is experiencing smoke or something out of the ordinary. This has cut down on the amount of evacuations that residents have to go through.
When a localized alarm is set off, it is reported to the Communications Center. A security officer will respond to the alarm and check it out. If by chance another alarm in the same building or in a neighboring area is set off as well, then the fire department will be called, and the full alarm will go off. These alarm systems are much more convenient than the older systems because full buildings do not have to be evacuated because of a small, localized incident. New buildings being built or renovated on campus will be equipped with systems that have the localized alarms.
So what do you do when a fire alarm goes off? We've been learning how to react to fire alarms since the first grade, so some of Security's advice may seem like common sense. The Department of Safety and Security warns that should you hear a fire alarm, you should leave the vicinity in a calm and orderly manner.
There have been instances in which students have become complacent because some students "assume that it is a false alarm," said Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols. Although it may be understandable, since most of the alarms have not been due to an actual fire, one day your building may really be on fire.
Additionally, you can be punished for not evacuating your room when a fire alarm goes off. When an alarm is reported to Security, security officers go into every room to make sure that every student has evacuated the building. If caught in your room while a fire alarm is going off, you can be cited. These citations are reported to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. Other than getting yourself in trouble, such behavior puts others in danger. Nichols noted, "If [students] choose to remain, somebody has to go in to find them."
But it is hard not to become complacent about the fire alarms. When filing out of a building during a fire alarm, you can typically hear students mumbling under their breaths that if and when they find out whose room has caused the alarm, they will find them and make sure they pay. False alarms become irritating, especially when the alarms are so sensitive as to pick up on hair spray. It is almost inconvenient, but then again, real fires aren't ever convenient. Daphney Olius '06, who has experienced several false alarms in her own residence halls and those of her friends, said, "You never know when a fire is going to occur, so it is helpful. But they're easily triggered, and that's not good, because you'll be in the middle of typing a paper, or sleeping and then the alarm goes off.
"The fire alarms go off for no reason, when I'm just chillin'. You start to think 'that's nonsense!' And in some places they're never triggered, like at Stowe Inn. It makes you wonder if the alarms there even work," Olins said.
Bowdoin has been fortunate not to have experienced any large fires recently. The last serious fire occurred ten years ago in Brunswick Apartments. A menorah was lit on the windowsill in the E section of the Brunswick Apartments. The menorah tipped over onto a couch, and set the entire apartment section on fire. Luckily, there were no deaths or injuries.
This year, Brunswick Apartments came close to experiencing another fire when a student left a towel on a hot toaster oven. Another student experienced a small grease fire in Smith House.
The holidays bring with them higher risks of fires and alarm triggers. Fisher and Nichols ask that students avoid using real greenery such as trees or wreaths for holiday decorations. If students insist on using real trees and wreaths, the greenery must be treated with fire retardant materials.
If any lights are going to be used it is recommended that they be LED lights because they do not generate heat and don't ever burn out. Fisher and Nichols also ask that students take the candles prohibition seriously.
For further fire safety tips that focus especially on holiday decorations, students can go to http://www.bowdoin.edu/security/safety/reference.shtml