In light of the fires on and around campus this semester, students said they think Boston University and the Boston Fire Department have performed well in keeping students safe in the event of a dangerous blaze.
BFD spokesman Steve MacDonald said that once the cause of an electrical fire, such as the April 5 fire at the Metcalf Center for Science and Engineering in which a transformer on the roof caught fire, is established and no individuals are determined to be in danger, firefighters carefully cut off the source of the transformer’s power.
MacDonald said that fires such as this are bound to happen, and are not necessarily a result of inadequate preventative measures.
“Sometimes it’s the systems are old, sometimes there’s an equipment malfunction,” he said. “Our experience is that most of the larger learning institutions and hospitals in Boston keep their equipment up to date.”
Working with building engineers at large institutions is a crucial part of successfully extinguishing electrical fires, he said.
“We have a very good relationship with BU,” he said.
MacDonald said that while the BFD offers safety advice, it does not directly develop individual evacuation plans for buildings at BU.
“They have full time safety engineers,” he said of BU and other universities. “They’re the ones who draw up the plan. The larger, more reputable schools do a very good job of having the proper plans in place in an emergency. They have large professional staffs that can deal with building problems. They don’t mess around when it comes to having people available.”
Most students said they think that fire safety at BU is relatively effective, and that they feel very safe attending classes in the Metcalf Center.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Nicolas Ampuero said that although he is not familiar with Metcalf’s evacuation plan, he is not too worried about following protocol when a fire alarm goes off.
“Usually the professors will tell you what to do,” he said.
While the BFD plays a large role in the prevention and elimination of fires, the BU website encourages students to be aware of fire protocols such as evacuation plans in order to keep themselves safe.
BU Emergency Management lists BU’s fire plan as consisting of four categories: alert, confine, evacuate and special assistance (A.C.E.S.). Upon noticing a fire or smelling smoke, a student should immediately pull a fire alarm and notify the BU Police Department, after which the student should close doors nearest to the fire in order to contain it, the website states.
When a fire alarm is sounded, individuals are advised to evacuate the building as soon as possible, taking care to follow the building’s fire safety plan. According to the website, each safety plan lists a “rally point” where individuals should meet once they exit the premises.
In addition to responding to actual fires, students must also take precautions in order to prevent fires from occurring, the website says. In BU residences, numerous activities are prohibited in the name of fire safety, including using candles, opening fire doors during a non-emergency, keeping fire hazards such as Christmas trees and using electrical outlets excessively.
For those who require special assistance, students should contact the Office of Disability Services and the Office Residence Life to develop an individualized evacuation plan, the website said.
CAS junior Apurv Soni said he feels relatively safe while using laboratories in Metcalf. He said he feels that the transformer fire was a maintenance issue that does not reflect BU lab safety.
“I don’t think it’s an issue,” he said. “People who actually are in a position to start a fire are pretty well prepared to deal with it.”
Soni also said, though, that he thinks use of the BU emergency alert system during events such as the fire can be more annoying than helpful at times.
“Sometimes it’s maybe an overkill,” he said.
Others, like College of General Studies sophomore Christina Zuniga, said the BU alert system was very efficient during the Metcalf electrical fire.
“The minute it happened, I got a text, an email, the whole shebang,” she said.
Zuniga said she found the fire a little alarming considering its proximity to labs and other hazards in the Metcalf Center.
“I think that’s what made it scarier, that it happened in this building in particular,” she said.
Despite her concerns, however, Zuniga said she feels very satisfied with BU’s response to the fire.
“It’s just something that happened,” she said. “They did a good job in my opinion.”
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
