are unannounced fire drills in dorms a bad idea?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Yesterday afternoon, I was studying in my room when the fire alarm went off. We all left the building and hung around outside for a while while someone from the fire department gave tips about what to do during a fire. Needless to say, no one was listening, and we were more concerned with getting back to our rooms.</p>

<p>Now, the kids in my hall are saying that the next time it goes off they're not gonna bother leaving, since we're on the top floor and it's a hassle. Yes, we're dumb kids, and that's partly to blame, but the thing is, if we hadn't had that unannounced fire drill, and if the next time fire alarms had gone off it had been a real fire, we would have left the building. </p>

<p>Now, the majority of the kids in my dorm will probably stay in their room the next time the alarms go off because we are operating under the assumption that it's just another unannounced fire drill. We already knew how to get out of the building, since we all did successfully, so what was the point of the fire drill? Not only does it seem like a wasted effort, it could potentially backfire, with unfortunate consequences.</p>

2

<p>If you hear a fire drill you shouldn't be wondering if it's real or not. At my college, they did the first rounds of fire drills early in the morning (one night it was at 1 am, another night at 3 am). The point's to get you used to getting out, not to irritate you. And I'm pretty sure it's mandatory for them to test it out every semester or year.</p>

3

<p>That's true, but I don't see the point in having them be unannounced. If we were notified beforehand that there would be a fire drill at such time, and the school had a policy of always notifying us about fire drills, then if the alarm were to go off when we did not know of any announced fire drill, we would have to assume it was a real fire, and vacate promptly. Instead, kids were hanging around in the hallway, trying to figure out if they should leave, saying that so-and-so had told them there might be fire drills today but someone else had said there would not be, or that there had been a practice drill in another dorm that morning. It just seems like another example of the boy who cried wolf.</p>

4

<p>What's the point in having announced fire drills? Isn't the point of fire drills that you're not supposed to ready for them because you're not going to have announced real fires?</p>

<p>...my school solves this problem by fining anyone who doesn't leave the dorm when the alarm goes off.</p>

5

<p>I agree 100% germoon. I never understood the point of unannounced fire drills. If you hear a fire alarm, you get out of the building. Is that really so hard? Is it necessary to perform drills? I can understand if they want to test the system, but it should be announced.</p>

<p>Unannounced fire drills just get on everybody's nerves; they are a hassle. We have better things to do.</p>

<p>
[quote]
The point's to get you used to getting out, not to irritate you. And I'm pretty sure it's mandatory for them to test it out every semester or year.

[/quote]

What's there to get used to? If someone doesn't know to leave the building upon hearing a shrill piercing alarm, they should not be in college in the first place. And testing it out is fine, so long as it is announced.</p>

<p>College students usually have things to do, and do not appreciate being disturbed for something as unnecessary as an unannounced fire drill.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
What's the point in having announced fire drills? Isn't the point of fire drills that you're not supposed to ready for them because you're not going to have announced real fires?

[/quote]

So how is it any different from a real fire?</p>

<p>Do you honestly believe that if they don't have these drills, people will not leave the building upon hearing a fire alarm?</p>

<p>Even if I'd never heard a fire alarm in my life (but had only heard of it), I think I would know what to do upon hearing the loud-as-hell alarm and seeing the flashing "Fire alarm" lights going off in the hallway. You don't need a "drill" by any stretch of the imagination.</p>

7

<p>what if someone was in the shower or something during the drill...</p>

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<p>Good point, GoldShadow. It's a pretty basic instinct that when something's that loud and lights are flashing, it's a good idea to get out.</p>

<p>lol that actually happened during my fire drill, dramakitty. Kids were standing outside in shorts and shower shoes to listen to a fire marshal tell us not to use the elevators in case of a fire.</p>

<p>Who knew? I certainly would not have been able to tell by the signs in all four elevators. Nor would I have guessed from the signs on the doors to the stairs that tell us to use them in case of a fire. I didn't get it from the map in each of our dorm rooms showing us where to go in case of a fire and telling us to use the stairs. And that meeting we had with our RA about what to do in emergencies? Went completely over my head.</p>

<p>In fact, during the fire drill, we all decided that the smartest thing to do would be to pile into the elevator and make sure we exceeded the weight limit (so we could go down faster). This was, of course, after we finished climbing a tree during a thunderstorm. While carrying a plugged-in toaster.</p>

<p>For the most part, we're all 18 or older. This is elementary stuff, and we know what to do. I'd rather see some of the money they budget for this stuff go towards having a fire extinguisher in each room (or maybe at least one in our hallway...). But, that would be wasteful.</p>

9

<p>We had one of those too. It was pretty lame since I was about to shower and had to put my clothes on quickly. It was also kind of cold outside.</p>

10

<p>You'll get used to unannounced fire drills when people start burning microwave popcorn at 3 AM.</p>

11

<p>But those aren't drills, Reaver.</p>

<p>Although they are really annoying, heh.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
Do you honestly believe that if they don't have these drills, people will not leave the building upon hearing a fire alarm?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I'm not saying that if we don't have them then people won't leave, I'm just saying that it's stupid to have announced fire drills because what's the point.</p>

13

<p>Similarly, I think unannounced fire drills are equally useless.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
...my school solves this problem by fining anyone who doesn't leave the dorm when the alarm goes off.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Here too.. something in the way of $500 a pop..</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
what if someone was in the shower or something during the drill...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>the same thing that happens if someone is in the shower during a fire? GTFO of the building, after taking 10-15 seconds to throw on the closest clothes/robe/towel.</p>

<p>
[quote]
We already knew how to get out of the building, since we all did successfully, so what was the point of the fire drill?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>seriously? That's like saying "Since I got an A on my math exam, what was the point of it?"</p>

<p>they have fire drills to make sure the system works. Guess who is part of the system? The people who live in the dorm! The system is not only electronics, the system is electronics that accomplish a specific goal. If they said there was going to be a fire drill at 3pm, no one would be there at 3pm!</p>

<p>staying in the dorm during a fire drill is a judicial violation at my school... no fine though.</p>

<p>... I also don't like unannounced fire drills, but shouldn't you be used to them? I had them every year in school, starting in 1st grade... possibly earlier. Do you think unannounced fire drills are bad for high schools and elementary schools also? And if not, why is it ok for those schools, but not for your dorm?</p>

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<p>Mostly because you don't live in elementary and high schools, I imagine.</p>

<p>My undergrad school would post on the doors of buildings a window of a few days during which there would be a random fire alarm. I thought that was a good way to run things because you didn't quite know when it was going to be, but you knew if you had some serious work to get done you should avoid working in your room for a day or two.</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
they have fire drills to make sure the system works. Guess who is part of the system? The people who live in the dorm! The system is not only electronics, the system is electronics that accomplish a specific goal. If they said there was going to be a fire drill at 3pm, no one would be there at 3pm!

[/quote]

Already answered this above. Obviously if they want to test the electronics and the technical aspects of it, that is understandable. But there is absolutely no need for students to be there when they do it. If the alarms and electronics work, that's all that's necessary. I don't understand why you think people need to "practice" something like this. You hear an alarm, you exit the building. Honestly, it's not some massive, complicated emergency plan. It's a fire alarm. It's not something you need to "get used to", it's not something you need to "practice". When it happens, you exit the building. Don't use elevators. Anybody who doesn't get that should not be left alone, let alone in a college dorm.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I also don't like unannounced fire drills, but shouldn't you be used to them? I had them every year in school, starting in 1st grade... possibly earlier. Do you think unannounced fire drills are bad for high schools and elementary schools also? And if not, why is it ok for those schools, but not for your dorm?

[/quote]

We are used to them (even though, by age 18, one should not need to be "used to" them in order to know what to do when a fire alarm goes off).</p>

<p>You cannot compare primary school(s) and college; the two are radically different. You definitely want to have them in elementary schools. Young kids tend to panic or not know what to do upon hearing an alarm; they need to practice.
In high school and middle school, you may not need "practice" but it doesn't really matter in high school and middle school. If a fire alarm goes off, it doesn't waste your time. You are already on school time. You get there at 7:30, you have scheduled class periods and breaks, a lunch period, and so on. You don't give a rat's ass if a fire alarm goes off. What would you rather be doing? Going to class?</p>

<p>But in college, it's different. You live in your own dorm. You are relatively independent. When a fire alarm goes off in your dorm, it's different. Imagine a fire alarm going off in your house, because that's exactly what it's like. You're not in class, you're not on a scheduled study hall period. You're trying to do work, you're trying to do laundry, you're doing reading for class, you're trying to sleep. Would you want to have fire drills in your own home? Hell no. Would you want to make sure the smoke detectors and fire alarms work? Yes. But you certainly would not want unscheduled fire drills.</p>

<p>Likewise, in college dorms, you tend to get interrupted when you're trying to get something done (be it sleep, work, eating, whatever). You're 18+ years old. You can walk down a flight of stairs to exit a building. You know that a shrill alarm does not mean "stay in the building!". There is no need to perform fire drills on college students.</p>

18

<p>"Would you want to have fire drills in your own home? Hell no."</p>

<p>You do know that that is highly suggested by all fire personnel in this country and beyond and has been for years, correct?</p>

<p>Anyways, random fire drills are the way to go in a dorm of young, independently minded adults. Believe me, I have seen the consequences of there not being a random fire drill in a dorm before there was a real fire. If there ever happens to be a fire in your dorm, you will be thankful for the drills. It's not just to make sure people get out, it's to make sure EVERYBODY gets out, and it also depends on SPEED. If there is a real fire ripping through your dorm, you sure as hell want everyone to get out fast, so you can get out fast. But you also need the fast pace to be balanced with organization or else certain stairways and exits will get crowded and movement would go slower. Maybe if you think of it in terms of potential lives saved instead of a minor inconvenience in your oh so busy schedule, you would appreciate it more, or at the least bit just understand it and comply when they happen. I have, on a few occasions in the middle of winter in Northern Vermont, ended up outside in the falling snow in only a towel and my wet self, and that was back when I was 16 and living the dorm life, and I even understood the need then. One of those times was an actual fire, I wasn't complaining and fortunately others who were able to grab a bit more in the way of layers were willing to share.</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
In high school and middle school, you may not need "practice" but it doesn't really matter in high school and middle school. If a fire alarm goes off, it doesn't waste your time. You are already on school time. You get there at 7:30, you have scheduled class periods and breaks, a lunch period, and so on. You don't give a rat's ass if a fire alarm goes off. What would you rather be doing? Going to class?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That time could be used for class and learning, but obviously some people think that making sure you can get out of the building is more important than 15 minutes of class a few times a semester. You are saying that uninterrupted fire alarms are ok as long as you have nothing you would rather be doing?</p>

<p>
[quote]
There is no need to perform fire drills on college students.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Thousands of college administrators and fire personnel across the country disagree with you. Personally I think they are annoying, but I understand the purpose. Grab your laptop on the way out, and keep working outside if it's that big a deal.</p>

20

<p>I don't think they're really doing the drills to make sure we know how to exit the building- that's been drilled into us since kindergarten. They do them to make sure the equipment works and so the faculty can respond appropriately if there were a real fire. However, I am not a fan of them, and I don't think it could hurt to let us know, or at least do them during reasonable hours. That way, if it does go off at 2am, we are pretty sure it's real.</p>