Randall Moore
Reporter
October 15, 2004
Throughout the current school year, fire alarms aplenty have gone off in the residence halls at Milligan College, especially in Sutton and Webb Halls.
Many students have expressed that they think that the alarms are false and have been pulled as pranks to cause them to get out of bed during the early morning hours, but the truth is that the alarms have gone off for legitimate reasons.
In a random survey of Webb rooms, 21 out of 30 said that they no longer take fire alarms seriously because of the numerous previous alarms that had gone off. Some rooms admitted to not leaving during the alarm because they believed it was a false alarm.
Dean of Students Mark Fox said that the alarms are set to pick up all sorts of things but mainly dust, if someone burns something in a microwave, or the burning of candles. Students may not know the cause of the alarm, but all the alarms have had a purpose in going off.
For example, in a fire drill last year at Webb, a fire extinguisher was disengaged in the stairway, and the fire alarm went off at approximately 3:40 a.m. The students who used the stairway on the opposite stairwell had no idea why the fire alarm had sounded, but it was important they responded.
A major problem in Milligan’s fire safety is the lack of trained individuals. Three resident assistants polled in Webb and Quillen Halls said that they had received no fire training in their RA training and that their job was just to knock on the door and to leave the building.
“I have contacted the [resident director’s] of the men’s and women’s residence halls, and there is training underway for the RA’s in regards to fire safety.” Director of Student Life Kim Parker said. “Even though it’s a late start, this is an issue that needs to be dealt with quickly.”