Fire raises new safety concerns

Students residing in the dorms should be safe from fire for the remainder of the year, officials at the IU Physical Plant said. \nThe April 7 dorm fire at DePauw University has raised questions about the lengths IU is taking to ensure safe living environments for students on campus. The blaze at DePauw injured three fire fighters and cost estimated damages of $1 million.\nLarry Stephens, risk manager for the IU physical plant, said students should be safe overall.\n"We normally run two fire drills a year to make sure everything is working," Stephens said. "Residential Programs and Services fully cooperates with us for our drills."\nStephens said problems arise when false alarms occur and students start taking them for granted. Other situations that could place unforeseeable risk on students include the use of open flames from candles, halogen light bulbs and cooking apparatuses that should not be used in dorm rooms, Stephens said.\nGreencastle fire officials attributed the cause of the blaze at DePauw to electrical appliances used in the dorm. \nThe risk of possible injury could be reduced if students would leave the dormitories during fire drills -- but more importantly, not start false alarms, Stephens said.\nJohn Doyle, a staff member in the electronics department, said the testing of fire alarms becomes a real public safety issue.\n"We test (the alarms) continually throughout the year," Doyle said. "We do everything we can to prevent possible fires."\nRecent repairs at Read Center have triggered alarms throughout the dorm, interrupting students from studying and sleep.\nPhysical Plant foreman for elevators and fire alarms John Heavilon said the University is making repairs, but refused to comment on the specifics of the repairs.\n Read residential advisor Michelle Bernstein said people within Read were unaware of repairs being made in the facility when alarms were set off. False alarms have occurred during the past two weeks in the center. Bernstein, a senior, said students were completely evacuated from the building once when smoke was reported to be coming from McDonald's.\n Doyle said the specifics of the repairs were not being made public for security purposes, but no fires have occurred yet this year in the dorms.\n"We must be doing something right," Doyle said.\nThere is no word yet as to whether the University's budget constraints will affect funding for repairs being made in dorms like Eigenmann, Foster and Read. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Judy Palmer said she estimated that the budget for the 2002-2003 school year would not be available until early May.