2008 Woodie Awards
OUR VIEW: Too alarming
AT ISSUE: Fire at LaFollette reveals lack of adequate safety equipment
Students who live in Ball State University residence halls are used to fire alarms going off in the middle of the night.
They are not used to their buildings actually being on fire, though.
So when flames erupted in a break room in the basement of LaFollette Complex about 4 a.m. Wednesday, the speed in which students evacuated the building was relatively fast.
In about a half an hour, about 1,900 students were out of the building, accounted for and moved to Worthen Arena. That's fast, especially considering these students were asleep when the fire began.
Ball State and emergency officials were organized and efficient. The alarm system that tipped people off to the fire, however, was not.
Because the blaze started in a part of the building where smoke detectors are not required, an alarm had to be manually pulled to alert residents to the danger.
That's right, a building that houses about one-third of all Ball State students on campus has an area that is free of vital safety equipment.
The break room where the fire began not only houses a stove, but it is also beneath hundreds of students' beds. Heat rises.
No area should be exempt from requiring smoke detectors when the safety of people is at stake.
According to a fire department investigator, buildings have to be up to fire codes by law only in the year they are built. LaFollette was built in 1967.
Alan Hargrave, director of housing and residence life, said the complex's last alarm upgrades weren't more than 40 years ago, though. They were about seven or eight years ago.
Seems a little off, doesn't it? Surely after this incident university officials are considering some immediate improvements, though, right?
Not according to university representative Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities planning and management, who said updates to alarm equipment would be financially unwise because the university plans to demolish LaFollette Complex within a few years.
They are not used to their buildings actually being on fire, though.
So when flames erupted in a break room in the basement of LaFollette Complex about 4 a.m. Wednesday, the speed in which students evacuated the building was relatively fast.
In about a half an hour, about 1,900 students were out of the building, accounted for and moved to Worthen Arena. That's fast, especially considering these students were asleep when the fire began.
Ball State and emergency officials were organized and efficient. The alarm system that tipped people off to the fire, however, was not.
Because the blaze started in a part of the building where smoke detectors are not required, an alarm had to be manually pulled to alert residents to the danger.
That's right, a building that houses about one-third of all Ball State students on campus has an area that is free of vital safety equipment.
The break room where the fire began not only houses a stove, but it is also beneath hundreds of students' beds. Heat rises.
No area should be exempt from requiring smoke detectors when the safety of people is at stake.
According to a fire department investigator, buildings have to be up to fire codes by law only in the year they are built. LaFollette was built in 1967.
Alan Hargrave, director of housing and residence life, said the complex's last alarm upgrades weren't more than 40 years ago, though. They were about seven or eight years ago.
Seems a little off, doesn't it? Surely after this incident university officials are considering some immediate improvements, though, right?
Not according to university representative Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities planning and management, who said updates to alarm equipment would be financially unwise because the university plans to demolish LaFollette Complex within a few years.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 44
LOCAL TAX PAYER
posted 11/20/08 @ 3:07 PM EST
I would like to know who uses this BREAK room? If a housekeep or maintainence person used the stove unwisely and left it on, then that person should be fired from Ball State University. (Continued…)
Tina Stagowski
posted 11/20/08 @ 6:12 PM EST
"...students were out of the building, accounted for and moved to Worthen Arena."
Not so in my son and his roomate's case.
As a mother of a student living in LaFollette I was shocked when my high schooler came home from school talking about a fire at the college her brother attends. (Continued…)
Tina Stagowski
Tina Stagowski
posted 11/20/08 @ 6:27 PM EST
The above is a letter that I have sent to campus police, Muncie police, Muncie fire dept., and reporter Kelly Day about 14 hours ago. As of yet, I have not recieved a response from anyone. (Continued…)
concern redience
posted 11/20/08 @ 10:59 PM EST
I can see why this parent is upset. Just how is this done? Director and RAs should have a check list in hand whenever such a fire might happen so they can check off who is missing so the fireman can go back in the building and hurt the misssing DOWN. (Continued…)
Jake
posted 11/21/08 @ 12:29 AM EST
To the parent...your son is lying. UPD and Muncie Fire went room to room opening every room, making sure it was clear, and then they locked every room. (Continued…)
Katie
posted 11/21/08 @ 9:29 AM EST
Tina and 'concern redience', there is no way you can say that an RA is responsible for making sure that every person is checked off a list. Ball State students living on campus are not required to sleep in the dorm room they have been assigned to every night. (Continued…)
unhappy
posted 11/21/08 @ 12:33 PM EST
I would just like to state somehting that was overlooked in the article. This hall is made of concrete, and regulated fire resistant materials, there was very little danger of the fire spreading to another part of the building. (Continued…)
The Roommate of "Her Son"
posted 11/21/08 @ 3:26 PM EST
First of all, to anyone saying that my roommate or I am/was lying about this situation, I pity you. My roommate actually had the common sense to say something about this situation to try to better it and several of you scrutinize him for his courage! Why? I was the one to find our door opened. (Continued…)
Come on
posted 11/21/08 @ 4:02 PM EST
Ok, now I understand that this is very strange but I would not call these guys liars. I lived in Lafollette a few years ago and I've definitely seen stranger things happen there. (Continued…)
Cassie
posted 11/21/08 @ 4:15 PM EST
I moved out of the dorms at the end of last semester and into an apartment, but I was in various dorms for 3 years. RAs are NOT babysitters. Role calls and check lists during fire alarms are completely useless. (Continued…)
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