Though it is a trite phrase, going back to the drawing board is essential if you have a plan in place that is not being applied properly.
Boston University may want to consider this old adage when examining its evacuation procedures.
The university asserts its plan to get students out of residences quickly was carefully constructed with assistance from fire safety efforts.
But successful execution of the Environmental Health and Safety Office’s scripted protocol has been inconsistent at best. Office of Residence Life Director David Zamojski said the plan to evacuate Warren Towers calls for Resident Assistants to guide students to the College of Communication lawn if they are taking up too much room on the Commonwealth Avenue sidewalk.
When Warren residents were sent to the street twice because of a malfunctioning alarm Jan. 15, few, if any, traveled to the tiny patch of green space. A large crowd huddled close to the foyer hoping to re-enter the dormitory as soon as possible.
If they were adhering to BU’s policy, RAs should have taken charge and herded students away from Warren. RAs and other officials are also supposed to do their “best to inform students of the cause of the alarm,” Zamojski said.
But their job usually just consists of corralling everyone back into the building when it is deemed safe.
Keeping order when dealing with frustrated young adults is critical, but it is not all that can be done to carry out the proper evacuation procedure.
And during an emergency situation — whether it is real or a false alarm — RAs should be required to check each room to ensure no one is left on their floor.
This does not always happen. On many occasions, including Jan. 15, students were able to stay in their rooms through the piercing alarms.
Part of the problem could be inadequate evacuation training. Zamojski said, “The training is thorough and emphasizes the importance of responding to each alarm as though it were a fire emergency.” But no more than two hours of a two-week training session in August addresses fire and emergency procedures.
All RAs can do, though, is give proper instructions to the evacuees and try to account for everyone they are responsible for. Once students receive correct orders, their safety is in their own hands.
Most members of the student body are adults. They can lazily decide to ignore safety procedures, but they do so at their own risk. It may be cumbersome to put on shoes and a jacket to make the long trek down the many stairs into the cold weather, but no one never knows when efforts will be life-saving.
On a Saturday night, it is easy to assume that an alarm may be the result of a prank, but it is impossible to be sure.
Another cliché says it’s better to be safe than sorry. It isn’t profound, but students should take this message to heart.
And although it is very difficult to control thousands of students during what could be times of panic, BU should reconsider its methods and devise a more efficient plan of escape before the community faces a serious disaster.