While recent fire drills were successful in many respects, there is still room for improvement, according to Bowdoin officials.
Mark Fisher, manager of environmental health and safety, stated that the drills, which took place October 3, 10, and 24, "went very well," and that the average exit time for the drills was about three minutes.
Louann Dustin-Hunter, assistant director of security, added that "the first-year bricks were excellent" in getting out of their dorms and that the residents of Coles Tower were able to exit the building in remarkable time.
However, an important concern regards the "rallying points," or designated congregation areas, after a fire alarm sounds. Although Fisher and Dustin-Hunter have not finalized the rallying points for all of the campus buildings, Dustin-Hunter indicated that during these recent drills too many people were congregating directly outside the doors of buildings.
"Next to the door is the last place that we want the rallying points to be," said Dustin-Hunter.
In the event of a fire, Dustin-Hunter cautions students to "gather away from the building and stay in a group." In addition, Security is considering posting the names of the designated rallying points next to the exit signs of buildings.
"We need to try to get people to move away from the building," said Fisher. He noted that it is essential for students to congregate at rally points distant from the building doors for three reasons: the danger of the fire itself, facilitating a headcount, and staying out of the way of firefighters.
Lawson Wulsin, assistant director of residential life, said that directing students is part of the role of proctors and residential assistants (RAs) during these fire drills.
"If a proctor or RA is in the building, their first responsibility is to get out of the building," Wulsin said. "Once they are outside the building, they can account for all of their residents."
Fisher noted that his department is working closely with Residential Life to establish a more detailed training program for RAs and proctors.
The other concern regarding the fire drills has to do with violations of Bowdoin's fire policy. During each drill, Security and the Brunswick Fire Department check each room and note violations.
"We did notice that there were a lot of candles," said Dustin-Hunter, adding that many rooms contained hanging tapestries. The presence of lit candles and hanging tapestries violate Bowdoin's fire safety policy as stated in the student handbook.
"The worst things to have in dorm rooms are lit candles," said Dustin-Hunter. She noted that years ago, an entire Brunswick E apartment burned down due to a tipped-over menorah. She also explained that it is unsafe to have objects hanging from the exposed sprinkler systems.
"What we're basically looking for is compliance of these rules," said Fisher. "All dorm fires in the U.S. are caused by something preventable...simple little things."