Constant fire drills in the Governors Complex on North Campus has left residents angry and seeking answers.
Student estimates put the number of fire drills at 46 for this academic year, a number that continues to rise.
In the past week alone, residents had three fire drills. The one that occurred on Feb. 3 left students waiting outside in 20-degree weather for at least 20 minutes.
In response to the growing student animosity, two Facebook groups have been formed. Daniel Johnson, a sophomore history and political science major and Benjamin Rinauto, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, created a Facebook group devoted to the annoyance called, 'We didn't start the fire at Governors.'
'I knew a lot of people in Governors are disgruntled over the fire drills,' said Johnson. 'In less than 24 hours, 200 people had joined the group.'
Students turning to this group aren't just annoyed with these constant fire drills; they see them as a safety hazard.
'[The constant] fire drills are desensitizing people to alarms and putting them at risk for a real emergency,' said Amanda Ruby, a freshman biology major and Governors resident.
Due to the weather conditions, many students who live in Governors, instead of evacuating when the alarm sounds, have opted to stay in their dorm rooms to avoid the long wait and the weather.
'It is a huge safety issue. People just take their time [evacuating] now or just don't come out at all,' Rinauto said. 'It takes forever to evacuate people and we end up waiting 15 to 20 minutes because the Residential Advisors have to check the rooms and discipline those who chose to stay in.'
Johnson has also noticed this trend.
'A good handful of people are just staying in their rooms; I know a few people who do,' he said.
Students are unsure of the cause of all of these false alarms but don't believe it is a result of people playing pranks.
'As far as I know, the system was updated recently, so it would be understandable that it would have some kinks, but they should have been taken care of by now,' Johnson said. 'All the information I know is from what my friends, who are RAs, have told me.'
University Residence Halls and Apartments has not released a statement to the students who live in Governors Complex addressing this issue, which has begun to affect their daily lives.
'They happen randomly, sometimes in the middle of the day when you are trying to study, do homework or just heading back from class to relax. It is very inconvenient,' said Johnson.
The earliest in the morning students have reported fire evacuations happening is at 1 a.m. and many students have expressed their annoyance on the Facebook walls of 'We didn't start the fire …' as well as the second group, 'People in Govs need to learn how to cook! Stop setting off fire alarm[s]!!!'
In the group 'We didn't start the fire…' the creator, Johnson, makes a mock Declaration of Independence. Among the students' demands are a review of the fire prevention system to determine whether it should be put on a lower setting; a concession that only the students in the building with the alarm have to evacuate, similar to the fire drill system in Ellicott Complex; better safeguards to prevent false alarms; and newer cooking appliances.
While some of these claims may be impossible for authorities at URH&A, students haven't heard any response to them and are growing tired of the authorities' seeming ignorance of the constant interruption to residents' lives.
Without information from the URH&A, students are left to draw their own conclusions about the cause of all of these alarms. On the 'People in Govs…' Facebook group, the creator has posted information on how people can avoid setting off the alarms.
Topping the list are admonitions to avoid leaving items cooking on a stove or in an oven. Long showers that produce excess steam and smoking are also listed as main causes.
URH&A could not be reached for a statement on this issue.
Meanwhile, students worry it is deterring people from choosing to live in Governors.
'I know I am considering staying at home next year, simply because I live close and the fire alarms are really annoying to deal with all the time,' said Johnson.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
