In this Issue: sharing information about fire alarms (and how students can prevent accidentally setting them off!) before the semester begins
Over the summer, we like to provide families with some advanced knowledge of things their students might experience. Typically at the start of every semester, some residence halls (often first-year halls) experience fire alarms. In my own first weekend at Wake, I think we had 3 within 24 hours.
Student safety is our highest priority, and we treat each fire alarm seriously. Each alarm is reported and reviewed by various staff members to ensure our sensors are functioning correctly – and in nearly every case, the sensors are working as intended.
We want families to know that our detectors are set to the lowest sensitivity allowed by the fire code. Below is some information about how our sensors work.
Our rooms use photo particle sensors, meaning they look for particles in the air that could be smoke. Unfortunately, those sensors can’t distinguish smoke from steam, hair spray, vaping (which is not allowed in rooms!) etc., which often triggers what students will refer to as false alarms.
To avoid setting off the alarms, students should:
Avoid allowing excessive shower steam to build up and then be released where a detector is located.
Do not smoke or vape in the buildings.
All cigarettes, including e-cigarettes, must be smoked at least 50 feet away from any campus building.
Only cook food for the recommended amount of time at the appropriate temperature.
Do not leave cooking unattended for any length of time.
Do not spray any aerosol cans close to the detectors.
Take care when curling or straightening hair not to be close to any detectors.
We all share the same goal of having students be safe in their residences, be able to rest, and to feel comfortable. To the degree that students can review and understand the guidelines about accidentally setting off alarms now, we hope we can avoid alarms this fall.
