A group of Medeiros residents, RAs and parents who were affected by the March 24 fire met with University officials for a discussion last Monday in the Cheverus Lounge. Director of University Housing Dr. Robert Capalbo, Maryellen Carr, Administrative Officer from the Office of Student Affairs, Burton Howell, Assistant Director of Residential Life, BC Police Chief Robert Morse, Thomas Devine, Director of Buildings and Grounds, and Arthur Andersen, Safety Officer for Environmental Health and Safety, headed the meeting.
Capalbo stated that the listening session was arranged at students’ and University Counseling’s request. “We want to make sure that everyone responds appropriately to the next crisis,” Capalbo said.
One RA from Medeiros expressed discontent at the response of the Newton Fire Department, and from a certain member of the BCPD. “I told one of the officers that I was an RA and he acted as if he didn’t care ... I’m trained to be involved and I was told to step back ... There was no recognition shown toward students who were in charge.”
Other students agreed with her sentiment, citing one officer as being particularly uncooperative toward the students.
One resident stated that a group of students repeatedly told the same officer that a student was still trapped in a room on the top floor of Medeiros and pointed to the student’s window, only to be told to “get back.”
Capalbo addressed the fact that a municipal official might not know all the operations of the University, including the responsibilities of an RA. “It’s important for you to clearly state that you are the person in charge of this building,” he said.
One student responded that “whatever police or fire department works in the area of the school should understand how it works. I don’t feel comfortable that they don’t know enough about the places they work in,” he said.
Capalbo and Morse addressed this concern by stating the need to create a “command-post,” a single point where students and RAs can give any information to a BC police officer, who would then relay this information to the next person in command. This, Capalbo said, would help avoid confusion and lack of communication between students, University employees and municipal officials.
“The first few minutes of any incident can be confusing,” Capalbo said. “We need to create a way for students to speak with someone who understands the situation and can pass the information on to the appropriate person.”
Students expressed concern over the Medeiros fire alarms, stating that they were nearly inaudible during the fire. One student recalled, “I’m a light sleeper, and my roommate still needed to wake me up and tell me that the fire alarm was ringing.”
He added, “I see no reason why Medeiros and Kostka have different fire alarms than Fitzpatrick and Gonzaga ... the first priority when you’re renovating a building should be a fire alarm.” The student was referring to the recent renovations of the dorms on Upper Campus, not all of which have as of yet received new fire alarm systems.
Andersen explained that, in all the Upper Campus dorms, the fire alarms operate at 90 to 95 decibels; but, in certain dorms, the level of oscillation is greater, producing movement in the inner ear which makes the sound seem louder.
One student was trapped in his room for over 45 minutes before being rescued by members of the Newton Fire Department. He reported that by the time of his rescue, “there was more smoke in my room than in the hallway.” Two other students climbed onto the roof of Medeiros. One of these students added, “You can’t count on people rescuing themselves every time.”
Students and parents continued to express concern over the fact that this student remained in the building for such a long period of time, even while other students repeatedly told firefighters and police officers that the student was trapped.
Capalbo stated that he, as well as the other University officials, will be meeting later in the week with their municipal counterparts to discuss the fire. “We empathize, but we don’t have answers,” he said. “Our job is to relay this information to people who do,” he added, promising to keep the students and parents updated on their progress.
Concern was then focused upon the state of fire alarms and sprinklers in the dorms.
Devine stated that many of the dorms on Upper Campus have just received sprinklers, but that “there’s a small window of opportunity for installing these types of devices. You can’t do certain types of work while the buildings are occupied; sprinklers can’t be put in Medeiros right away.”
He added, “We are, however, taking an aggressive approach to doing these things. At a time like this it doesn’t seem like it’s happening fast enough, but there are currently numerous projects underway.” Andersen added that there is currently a $30 million upgrade of all freshman dorms in progress.
Students voiced concern over the meaning of whether a building “meets the code.” One student stated that the code allows “jail cell screens, and double pane windows — how is that code?” Many of the older buildings, it was stated, meet the code even without sprinklers and updated alarms.
Andersen replied that “when you’re talking about human life, ‘meets the code’ isn’t good enough ... We will do whatever is possible safety while following the code, going above and beyond it wherever possible.”
He added that the recent removal of the screens was done against the wishes of the Boston Fire Department, but in accordance with the State Fire Marshal’s recommendation. New plans for the reinstallation of safer, removable screens are currently being discussed, he said.
Morse added that the new screens must also take security of personal property into consideration; they must also prevent illegal entry into the rooms.
Other suggestions made by the students for further fire safety included battery operated smoke detectors, fire extinguishers in each room, removable ladders from the sides of buildings, and better coordination of mandatory fire drills. It was pointed out that in the dorms on Newton Campus there are no smoke or heat detectors in individual rooms.
Capalbo cautioned against “temporary fixes that could make things worse.” Howell added that with new safety features, students could be given more responsibilities for their own safety, as with a movable screen.
Capalbo concluded citing safety as “a two-way street,” and that the evening’s events had been “an extremely helpful analysis of the situation, as we try to work for the well-being of our students.”
Be the first to comment on this article!