C of C increases fire precautions in dormitories

State-of-the-art alarm systems put in 2 newest residence halls

State-of-the-art alarm systems put in 2 newest residence halls

It was 2:30 a.m. and the fire alarm had gone off for the third time. College students congregated outside the residence hall, girls with disheveled hair and pimple cream smeared on their faces and guys in boxers and tube socks. Shivering in the rain, they waited for the all-clear to go back inside.

Debbie Plant, a senior at the College of Charleston, looks back with amusement at the frequent fire alarms from her freshman year in McConnell Residence Hall on Wentworth Street. "The alarms always managed to go off in the middle of the night or when it was raining outside," Plant said. "I think a lot of them went off because of burnt popcorn. One even went off because a girl tried to dry her shoes in the microwave."

A recent national report found that the number of on-campus dormitory fires is up in recent years, from 1,800 fires in 1998 to 3,300 in 2005. Between 2002 and 2005 these fires resulted in an average of seven deaths and 46 injuries each year, according to the report from the National Fire Protection Association.

Cooking equipment caused the majority of residence hall fires, the report said, noting that "many of today's dormitories more closely resemble apartment buildings that include kitchens."

Richard Krantz, who directs the Division of Fire and Life Safety at the College of Charleston, said most fires he sees at the college are the result of cooking mishaps or lack of common sense. "Usually when an alarm goes off, it's either steam, kids smoking pot or burning popcorn," he said.

He said fire safety is weighing heavily on his mind this semester because he knew the nine firefighters who died in the June 18 Sofa Super Store blaze.

From the start of the semester through the first week of September, the college has had seven fire alarms on campus, down from 18 by this time last year. Among the causes were students burning bacon, smoking cigarettes on a balcony and a residence hall director leaving a shower on too long.

The college's residence halls ban items such as automatic drip coffee makers, candles, hot plates and toasters. And the college hasn't experienced any major fires, Krantz said. The most recent fire occurred three years ago at the residence hall at 10 Warren Place.

The college's two newest residence halls on George and Liberty streets, which opened this semester, feature state-of-the-art computerized fire alarm systems that can pinpoint the floor, room and section where the fire alarm was triggered. The system has become a model for other colleges all over the Southeast, Krantz said.

While most of the college's residence halls have sprinkler systems, three of the older dorms — Craig Hall, Buist Rivers Residence Hall and College Lodge — do not. Those buildings are slated to get sprinklers next summer.

Until then, those residence halls are still safe because they have smoke detectors, Krantz said. "Smoke will get to the detector long before the heat will get to the sprinkler head," he said. "We want you out before it gets that hot."

Krantz said he tries to educate students on fire safety through regular fire drills and forums, and he often shares cautionary tales to make his point. One of his favorite stories involves a female student who accidently ignited a Styrofoam pillow and a lamp shade with candles. "She wanted to set the mood for her boyfriend, so I look at the guys and say, 'Guys, please tell your girlfriends you don't need candles to get in the mood.'"

Reach Aubrey Straub at astraub@postandcourier.com