On Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. the fire alarm sounded in New Hall. Following University procedures, residents evacuated the building.
The fire department arrived in less than two minutes and after about five minutes in the building left the scene because it was a false alarm. Facilities personnel and University Police entered the building presumably to reset the alarm that was still sounding. There were several failed attempts to do so.
The community facilitators told us after half an hour we should find someplace else to go as it could be a while. We then found out in order to reset the alarm an electrician had to be called that lived outside of D.C. After approximately an hour and a half of standing outside in the cold, wet weather, the alarm was properly reset.
The poor handling of this false alarm appalled me. The fire alarms in all the buildings on campus are tested on a regular basis. In fact, the fire alarm had been tested in New Hall last week. When they are tested I would presume they also have to be reset. The University employs police, as well as facilities personnel, that are on campus on a 24-hour basis. I cannot understand why there was no one on campus that could reset this alarm. Different UPD officers came to the building during the hour-and-a-half period, accomplishing nothing but blocking traffic by leaving their cars in the middle of the street. The University should have personnel that are properly trained to handle this situation.
The tragedy that occurred at Seton Hall University in January exemplifies why false alarms need to be handled properly. This tragedy occurred more than a month ago, and in response The Hatchet printed two articles and an editorial stressing the need for proper student response to fire alarms. One article stated, GW plans to review fire safety procedures with students and staff, according to a University press release. The residents of New Hall were aware of and followed proper procedures during this situation. Unfortunately, it was the University that was not appropriately prepared.
-Lauren Reisfeld
sophomore
