2008 Woodie Awards
A loud buzzing noise
A story from Bate Building
Jessica Dunlow, Pulse/Opinion Writer
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Opinion
So, it was an average Tuesday, walking to class in the sunlight, wearing a cute outfit, etc. I get to class in Bate about 10 minutes early as usual, and begin to chat with the people sitting around me. Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise filled the hallways.
Now, most of us had not heard this particular noise since high school, so we just looked around at each other, dazed as to what it was and at what we were supposed to do. The professor was not even sure, because no one had informed her of evacuation procedures for this "fire" alarm! As we all laughed and joked about some idiot pulling the alarm, she looked into the hallway and found that other professors and students were wandering toward the door, so we too meandered that way.
It is appalling to think that the university has not prepared us for the proper ways to evacuate classroom buildings. I mean, I suppose the administration assumes that, since we are all adults, we should know what to do and where to go. This is not necessarily true. We do seem to know how to get out of the residence halls with ease when the alarm goes off, which happens frequently. We take the stairs as quickly as possible and try not to push anyone over during our descent … although there are exceptions to this assumption. For instance, does anyone remember the girl from the Clement fire that was just not informed of what the loud noise meant? Scary.
Anyway, it surprised me how unsafe I began to feel after all of the students in 9:30 classes in Bate were standing outside just continuing to joke about canceled classes and an extra free hour, until the three fire trucks arrived (even the pretty purple and gold one!). One firefighter had an axe in hand, ready to destroy anything that got in the way of defeating a fire.
So, I propose that students be taught the appropriate escape plans for situations like this. I know we all hated the monotony of monthly drills in grade school, but perhaps something like this should be implemented. Students wandering aimlessly through the hallways can cause a major hazard if a fire actually occurs. I also know that this will take a small part of our classroom time out, but I feel it is important for our own knowledge and safety!
The story ends fine. The firefighters went up to the door and, after about 15 minutes, allowed us back into the building. We dutifully went back to our classes and proceeded to begin what was an average Tuesday ... until the alarm went off again. Now, for those of you who have not had to be evacuated from a classroom building, it's scarier than it sounds, because we were all standing so close to the building that if there had been an explosion, we would have all been consumed. Fires are more common than you would think, and we do have a fantastic fire department and police force keeping watch over us, but look deep down. Do you really feel safe? Do you know the quickest escape routes for your classroom buildings? How far do we stand from the building? How fast do we need to evacuate? Exactly.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Now, most of us had not heard this particular noise since high school, so we just looked around at each other, dazed as to what it was and at what we were supposed to do. The professor was not even sure, because no one had informed her of evacuation procedures for this "fire" alarm! As we all laughed and joked about some idiot pulling the alarm, she looked into the hallway and found that other professors and students were wandering toward the door, so we too meandered that way.
It is appalling to think that the university has not prepared us for the proper ways to evacuate classroom buildings. I mean, I suppose the administration assumes that, since we are all adults, we should know what to do and where to go. This is not necessarily true. We do seem to know how to get out of the residence halls with ease when the alarm goes off, which happens frequently. We take the stairs as quickly as possible and try not to push anyone over during our descent … although there are exceptions to this assumption. For instance, does anyone remember the girl from the Clement fire that was just not informed of what the loud noise meant? Scary.
Anyway, it surprised me how unsafe I began to feel after all of the students in 9:30 classes in Bate were standing outside just continuing to joke about canceled classes and an extra free hour, until the three fire trucks arrived (even the pretty purple and gold one!). One firefighter had an axe in hand, ready to destroy anything that got in the way of defeating a fire.
So, I propose that students be taught the appropriate escape plans for situations like this. I know we all hated the monotony of monthly drills in grade school, but perhaps something like this should be implemented. Students wandering aimlessly through the hallways can cause a major hazard if a fire actually occurs. I also know that this will take a small part of our classroom time out, but I feel it is important for our own knowledge and safety!
The story ends fine. The firefighters went up to the door and, after about 15 minutes, allowed us back into the building. We dutifully went back to our classes and proceeded to begin what was an average Tuesday ... until the alarm went off again. Now, for those of you who have not had to be evacuated from a classroom building, it's scarier than it sounds, because we were all standing so close to the building that if there had been an explosion, we would have all been consumed. Fires are more common than you would think, and we do have a fantastic fire department and police force keeping watch over us, but look deep down. Do you really feel safe? Do you know the quickest escape routes for your classroom buildings? How far do we stand from the building? How fast do we need to evacuate? Exactly.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Be the first to comment on this story