Dorm fire alarms to be taken seriously
Jessi Cinotto
Issue date: 11/26/07 Section: Features
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Page 1 of 1
Students living on campus know that there is one thing they can count on happening at the most inopportune time: the fire alarm going off and getting you out of bed, out of the shower, or a number of other inconvenient places.
There are times when the alarm may go off quite often as well as times were it may be a month between the alarms. While dorm students find this funny after the fact, Resident Directors (RD) have a different view.
"Fire alarms are taken seriously and not to be considered a funny joke," commented an anonymous RD.
Fire alarms are tested once a year at UIC, usually at the beginning of the fall semester before the notorious Chicago cold weather begins. Usually the fire drills are held in August or September. The fire department uses these drills to test the system, but they are also for students to practice what to do in case there is ever a real fire.
While university officials are aware of the planned fire alarm, students are advised to take all fire alarms seriously - even those that take them out of bed.
Typically, the cause of most false alarms are from burning popcorn or various other kitchen disasters.
There are, of course, false alarms from the occasional accidental pulling of a fire alarm. Even less often a cause is the intentional pulling of fire alarms as a dorm prank.
Every fire alarm is taken very seriously by both Campus Housing and the Chicago Fire Department. All of the alarms are connected to the campus police who are dispatched immediately.
UIC police is even dispatched when there is a faulty smoke detector. As a result, they are quick to warn housing if there is a problem with a smoke detector, so that housing can fix it in a timely manner.
If students experience an actual fire in any of the dorms, Campus Housing would prefer that students call 996-HELP (4357) or 996-FIRE (3473) instead of dialing 911. This is because by calling 911, the call goes to the city 911 operators who then contact UIC to alert the university of the fire. The UIC emergency numbers go directly to the UIC Police, who can contact the local fire station directly.
Campus Housing was quick to warn that there are serious consequences when someone pulls the fire alarm without cause. The student could face a minimum fine of $250 from housing and undergo a judicial process. The student could also face criminal charges. If it is a guest of a resident, the visitor can also face criminal charges and be forced to pay fines.
- Page 1 of 1
There are times when the alarm may go off quite often as well as times were it may be a month between the alarms. While dorm students find this funny after the fact, Resident Directors (RD) have a different view.
"Fire alarms are taken seriously and not to be considered a funny joke," commented an anonymous RD.
Fire alarms are tested once a year at UIC, usually at the beginning of the fall semester before the notorious Chicago cold weather begins. Usually the fire drills are held in August or September. The fire department uses these drills to test the system, but they are also for students to practice what to do in case there is ever a real fire.
While university officials are aware of the planned fire alarm, students are advised to take all fire alarms seriously - even those that take them out of bed.
Typically, the cause of most false alarms are from burning popcorn or various other kitchen disasters.
There are, of course, false alarms from the occasional accidental pulling of a fire alarm. Even less often a cause is the intentional pulling of fire alarms as a dorm prank.
Every fire alarm is taken very seriously by both Campus Housing and the Chicago Fire Department. All of the alarms are connected to the campus police who are dispatched immediately.
UIC police is even dispatched when there is a faulty smoke detector. As a result, they are quick to warn housing if there is a problem with a smoke detector, so that housing can fix it in a timely manner.
If students experience an actual fire in any of the dorms, Campus Housing would prefer that students call 996-HELP (4357) or 996-FIRE (3473) instead of dialing 911. This is because by calling 911, the call goes to the city 911 operators who then contact UIC to alert the university of the fire. The UIC emergency numbers go directly to the UIC Police, who can contact the local fire station directly.
Campus Housing was quick to warn that there are serious consequences when someone pulls the fire alarm without cause. The student could face a minimum fine of $250 from housing and undergo a judicial process. The student could also face criminal charges. If it is a guest of a resident, the visitor can also face criminal charges and be forced to pay fines.
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