By JORDAN GREEN, Editor-in-Chief
Northwestern students living in Coronado Hall and South Hall were forced to temporarily evacuate the buildings Monday after fire alarm systems malfunctioned.
South Hall residents were woken up twice in the early morning hours Monday – at approximately 3:45 a.m. and again around 5:45 a.m. – to the sound of blaring horns and panging bells. Students in Coronado Hall had a similar experience around 10:30 a.m.
Alva firefighters responded when the alarms sounded and, after searching the buildings, could not determine why the alarms went off. No fires were found in either building, said Matt Adair, the university’s housing director.
“Everything seems to be fine,” Adair said. “The fire department said they didn’t see anything dangerous right now, so the system’s back online.
There’d been the same type of a thing in South Hall. The system had something trip it, and they (firefighters) came and checked and everything was fine, so we’re back over there as well.”
After evacuating Coronado Hall, students stood outside the building for approximately 15 minutes. Some weren’t dressed for the colder weather, wearing pajamas, athletic clothing and short-sleeve shirts. Some wore flip-flops and sandals.
At the time, the temperature was below zero with a windchill of about -20 degrees.
Students said they dressed themselves quickly so they could leave the building sooner.
“I always think we do a good job of evacuating, but I always think we could do better,” Adair said.
Katherine Blair, a South Hall resident, said she was concerned that the university’s fire alarm systems may be faulty.
“If NWOSU’s fire alarms are all having mechanical failure, how does that protect us?” she said. “This has never happened in the years I’ve been here.”
Blair said she believes the university should test its fire alarms more frequently.
“I feel that it was something that could have been avoided if they check their systems regularly,” she said. “We only have a fire drill once a semester at the beginning of the semesters. Sure, they couldn’t have predicted this, but two in two hours – if this is malfunctioning, how are we to know it’ll work when it’s actually supposed to?”
Tyler Gregory, a Coronado Hall resident, said he is “concerned about the fact that they had us stand outside for half an hour or so when it’s -4 degrees for a fire alarm issue.”
Some students also said they were concerned that the alarms were too quiet, and they questioned how effective the alarms would be during a real emergency. Others did not.
Braydon Gray, who also lives in Coronado Hall, said the alarms woke him up. He said he was not worried about the systems failing.
“I assumed it was the weather that caused it by a short power outage,” he said.
Gregory said he hopes the university looks into the issue.
“I could barely hear it in my room, and if I was not awake, I probably would not have heard it at all,” Gregory said. “I think they should fix that issue because, if a fire actually occurs during any time late at night or early in the morning, some residents might sleep through it until it’s too late.”
Savannah Francis, a South Hall resident, said she also didn’t hear the alarms when they sounded.
“I was actually the last person woken up,” Francis said. “Everyone in my suite was gone. I’m kind of a heavy sleeper. Everyone else was already out there, and they were doing roll call. My friends realized I wasn’t there, so they got me.
“I had this feeling that it was going to happen again, but I went ahead and went back to sleep when they sent us back,” she said. “And then it happened again.”
And again.
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM
At the end of the day Monday, the alarms in South Hall went off for a third time. But this time, there was no false alarm.
As temperatures dropped Monday night, university employees tried to light up the fireplace in the lobby of the building. Smoke filled the room and set off the fire alarms. Once again, residents left their rooms, and firefighters responded to the campus.
When the alarms sounded for the third time Monday, students huddled inside the lobby, the same room the fireplace filled with smoke.
Francis said she hopes workers can develop safer evacuation plans.
“I hope they fix the systems and get a better way of organizing emergencies in the dorms,” she said. “They seem pretty unorganized with all of this.”