► entertainment ► events ► issues ► music ► art hilltopi friday ◀ 10.2.98 ◀ eight.a ◀ Where's the Hear those alarms? It doesn't always mean the fire trucks are on the way. In fact, in most buildings, the rule is find the nearest exit and then let the Office of Public Safety know your classroom is burning. CONNECTED Campus buildings that have alarms monitored by KU security but do not have systems that can inform the location of the alarm; ■ Lippincott Hall ■ Malott Hall ■ Murphy Hall ■ Parking Office ■ Robinson Center ■ Spahr Library ■ Spencer Art Museum ■ Spencer Library Summerfield Hall Watson Library Youngberg Hall ■ Adams Alumni Center ■ Anschutz Science Library ■ Art and Design ■ Burge Union ■ Chancellor's Residence Green Hall Kansas Union Learned Hall Lied Center iason benavides/kansan es RUN! Campus buildings with systems that only warn building occupants of an alarm: ■ Aimni Hall ■ Anschutz Sports Pavilion ■ Bailey Hall ■ Blake Hall ■ Burt Hall ■ Computer Center ■ Continuing Education ■ Corbin Hall ■ Dole Center ■ Douthart Hall ■ Facilities Operations ■ Foley Hall Fraser Hall Gertrude Sellards Pearson Grace Pearson Hall Hashinger Hall Haworth Hall Houseing Maintenance ■ KANU Transmitter ■ Karuta Hall ■ Marvin Hall ■ Max Kade Center ■ McCollum Hall ■ Miller Hall Moore Hall ■ Nichols Hall ■ Nunemaker Hall ■ Oliver Hall Pearson Hall ■ Smissman Lab Smith Hall Snow Hall Spooner Museum Sprague Apartments Stauffer-Flint Hall Stephenson Hall Stouffer Place Sudler Annex Summerfield Hall Sunflower Apartments Watkins Hall Wescoe Hall Wesley Building FIRE? story by augustus anthony piazza kansan staff writer W when a fire alarm warn off Monday night at Stauffer-Flint Hall, students stood outside in the pouring rain for 15 minutes before emergency crews arrived. is minutes before Wondering why KU security hadn't snown up. Katie Holman got tired of waiting, pulled out her cell phone and dialed up the Office of Public Safety to let them know about the alarm. What Holman, Bonner Springs senior, didn't know was that there are buildings on campus that have alarm systems connected to the safety office — and some that do not. Stauffer-Flint is one of those buildings not connected to the safety office. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Sgt. Gale Reece said that Stauffer-Flint's fire alarm was not connected to the Office of Public Safety's alarm console, that meant officers were not informed about it until Holman's call. However, in accordance with state fire marshal laws, each campus building where people congregate has at least one fire alarm system designed to the notify occupants of a fire, said Rick Fay, fire protection specialist for the state marshal. "The state fire marshal's biggest objective is to get occupants out of a building before the firefighters get there," Fay said. John Mullens, KU safety and security coordinator, said that once occupants were out, it was their responsibility to contact emergency officials — even if the building is connected to the safety office. If no occupants are present at the time of a fire, then it is the responsibility of someone driving by or in a nearby building to contact the Office of Public Safety, Mullens said. the Office of Home Security. But six buildings on campus have alarm systems that are connected to the office's console. These systems alert the building's occupants and also alert the Office of Public Safety to the exact location of the alarm. Allen Field House was the first to receive such a system. The "smart panel" system, which costs between $275,000 and $300,000, was installed six years ago to send the information through fiber-optic cable to a computer in the safety office. Once the alarm is acknowledged, officials can click on three separate screens to learn more about the emergency. The first screen flashes the name of the building in which the alarm is sounding. The second screen shows the exact floor where the alarm or originated. The third screen shows a floor plan of the building and the specific alarm that was set off. HAZARDS? Officials who monitor the system can then dispatch the police, fire or medical unit to the specific place where the alarm sounded. Buildings that have no alarm systems connected to the Office of Public Safety, Some may have individual smoke detectors. 1043 Indiana St. Blake Hall Annex Botany Greenhouse Broadcasting Hall Campanile Chamney Barn Danforth Entomology Lab. Hazardous Waste Lindley Storage Military Science Building Multicultural Center Parker Hall Parking Garage Parrott Athletic Center Rice Shop Strong Hall (Voice Audible smart system installed by January) Temple Hall Another 20 buildings have systems that notify the safety office of an alarm, but not its location, according to information from the security and emergency planning department. The updated message system costs 10 to 15 percent more than the original smart panel system, said Bob Rombach, University project manager of consult services. During the renovation of Budig Hall, an updated version of the smart panel system was installed. The new system still uses the three-screen method for the safety office. But before the alarm sounds, a pre-recorded message alerts occupants of the building that there is an emergency. Construction on the voice system will be completed in January in Strong Hall. Rombach said that the voice messages helped people understand what they needed to do during an alarm. Budig Hall and Memorial Stadium were the first to receive the voice audible system. The voice audible system is preprogrammed to send voice messages to occupants of a building in the case of an emergency, to help keep people from panicking. The message alerts occupants of the safety measures that they need to take. "People who are informed are the safest," he said. The University signed a procurement bid with a national security systems vendor for the next five years. The bid will guarantee that each time a new system is installed it will be the same design and price. Robinson Center, Murphy Hall and Malott Hall are next in line for the new system. Human are next in building Because Murphy was renovated last year, University officials decided to add the new system along with the remodeling process. Malott is slated for the new system because of the number of occupants it holds and because many of the students in the building are unfamiliar with its layout, Rombach said. Robinson also will get a new system. There is no set schedule for the addition of new fire systems in all campus buildings, he said. "Eventually all buildings with assembly will be evaluated and updated as needed." Rombach said.