Fire Alarms Increase at Shea-Durgin
Fire drills are a necessary yet tedious practice that needs to be held throughout campus on a regular basis. Residents living in all halls need to endure them occasionally; however, those 627 students living in Shea-Durgin Hall have had their fair share of rude awakenings. Ranging from two in the morning to two in the afternoon, those living in Shea-Durgin have experienced 10 fire drills so far; some seemingly pulled randomly, others for somewhat legitimate fire hazards.
As of the past few weeks, students are now having to pay extra tuition fees for unwarranted drills, on account of the Bridgewater Fire Department. Currently, the charge is five dollars per student, which is increased by an extra two dollars for each subsequent alarm. Numerous freshmen in the hall are outraged; especially as many have nothing to do with the alarms taking place, and yet are suffering from the many consequences. Due to many of these evacuations taking place in the early hours of the morning, students have suffered from not getting proper sleep.
One anonymous student living in Shea-Durgin, who has been present for almost every fire drill, feels incredibly infuriated; saying that the anticipation of a fire drill possibly happening while they are studying or sleeping is enough to give them constant anxiety. Another student diagnosed with insomnia says that the late-night drills have often made it hard for them to get proper sleep, as their condition makes it difficult for them to fall back asleep once evacuations are over.
When interviewing the director of Resident and Housing, Justin McCauley, he says that those within resident administration understand the struggle and want to help. Although most of the drills have been reportedly caused by common mistakes such as popcorn or ramen-noodle malfunctions, some have been deemed “malicious.” Two of the alarms have been caused by fire extinguishers being discharged, and one getting pulled for no purpose. McCauley says that they understand that these unnecessary drills are being caused by a “small proportion” of students, and most innocent residents have “every right to be frustrated.”
When regarding what action will be taken, McCauley states that a reward will be sent out for those who come forward with evidence against the suspect pulling the malicious alarms; more information can be found in your BSU email. Along with this, floor meetings will be taking place in Shea-Durgin to educate residents on proper fire drill information and policies. McCauley hopes this will put a halt to the constant alarms and keep students safe, comfortable, and well-rested while living on campus.
