Security expresses concern over false fire alrms

By Shannon Curley
Collegian Staff
December 5, 2007

There have been at least 10 incidents of fire alarms being triggered by students living in the dorms in the past two months, according to La Salle security officials. Most of these incidents were caused by students pulling fire alarms; however, some were more serious. At least two have been characterized by La Salle officials as “arson related.”

In one incident in early October, a fire was discovered to have been started in a trashcan in one of the men’s bathrooms in North Dorms. The building was evacuated, security was called and the Philadelphia Fire Department responded. In this particular incident the Philadelphia Fire Marshal was called to investigate.

According to Deputy Chief of Security Dennis Graeber, the fire marshal was prepared to make an arrest. To date, the guilty party has not been found.

Another arson-related incident happened Nov. 28, a few minutes before 5 a.m. Someone held a flame to a smoke detector on the first floor of St. Cassian. This triggered the alarm throughout the building, rousing most residents out of bed.

“I was asleep. How would you feel?” said Patrick Broome, a sophomore psychology major who lives on the first floor of Cassian.

Broome grabbed his jacket and filed out of the building with about 100 his fellow residents.

Again security responded and the Fire Department was called. Students waited outside on what was an unusually mild night while firefighters entered the building to determine if the source of the alarm was an actual fire.

When it had been confirmed that no fire existed, the resident coordinator and several resident assistants on call followed protocol, searching the building to ensure that everyone had been safely evacuated while simultaneously looking for contraband such as alcohol and drugs in students’ unoccupied rooms.

The entire process took between 30 and 45 minutes, during which Patrick Broome and his fellow students were unable to return to their rooms.

“At least it wasn’t as bad as the time someone set it off twice in one night by smoking in their room,” Broome said.

The fire department’s investigation discovered that metal on one of the smoke detectors had been charred, indicating that the alarm had been tripped purposefully.

“I think it’s still really considered a felony, even if there’s no actual fire, because it’s tampering with fire safety equipment,” said Andrea Young, the resident coordinator for Saints Cassian, Albert Jerome and Hilary Halls.

Felony or not, the perpetrator has not been identified in either incident.

“There’s no way of ever knowing who did it,” said sophomore religion major Colleen Friel, the resident assistant to the third floor of St. Cassian. “No one is going to rat anyone out.”

According to Graeber, what he calls a “rash” of false fire alarms may have more serious consequences than students realize.

“I don’t want students getting hurt during evacuation,” said Graeber.

What may be more likely, though, said Graeber, is that the false alarms would have negative consequences for the fire fighters who respond to the call. If they are at La Salle responding to a false alarm, they may not be where they are actually needed, he pointed out.

In addition, simply responding to the calls can be dangerous for firefighters.

“To be honest, I’m worried about an auto accident,” said Graeber. “If a fireman was killed and we found out who [caused the false alarm], they could be tried for murder. I don’t think students think about these things.”

As of the last report, it had been determined that false alarms had been triggered by students in North Dorms as well as Saints Edward and Francis on north campus, and in St. Basil Court and St. Neumann on south campus.

The alarms have been triggered in a variety of ways, including pulling the alarm, smoking in a La Salle building, and triggering the fire extinguishers that create a cloud powder in the air. According to Young, some of the buildings are so old that fire alarms are triggered by a regular amount of dust in the air.

According to Young, each time the fire department responds it costs $500. While students are not charged for a malfunctioning fire detector, if it is determined that the alarm was tripped maliciously or by student negligence, all of the residents of the building split the cost of the fire department response.

In the past, La Salle security has outfitted the fire alarm boxes with a special pressure-released dye that will serve to identify the person who has pulled the alarm. According to Graeber, it is possible that this may be done again in an effort to curb the false alarms.

It is unclear whether or not the false alarms have been orchestrated by a particular group of students or if they are a result of individuals acting independently.

“I know that there’s a heck of a lot more vandalism this year, so maybe [the false alarms] are part of it,” said Friel.

Despite repeated attempts to contact them, representatives from the Philadelphia Fire Department were unavailable for comment.

curleys1@lasalle.edu