The majority of the residence halls on campus are without fire sprinkler systems. Halls that have been recently built, including both sets of Commons Apartments, DeVore Hall and 25 W. Home St. are the only ones that are equipped.
According to Mindy Reckart, RA of Mayne Hall, "Sprinkler systems can not stop fires completely, but it would be nice to have them to help with the slowing down of a fire if there were to ever be one."
According to Tracy Benner, director of Residence Life, Otterbein has not experienced any major fire situations in the past year, except for burning food, especially in the Commons.
Most of the fires that do take place are from hair dryers and straightening irons. Benner said students have been asked to not bring those items into the halls.
Even though not all dorms are equipped with the systems, Rachel Lichtcsien, senior education major, said if installed, systems would help prevent the fire from spreading through a building and the fire would be handled sooner.
Benner advocates that other methods are more beneficial when dealing with fire safety.
"The earlier detection one has and notification of a fire, and the quicker one gets out of the building is what saves lives," Benner said. "The way the sprinklers work, they are not activated as quickly as smoke detectors because they are activated primarily by heat. I think smoke detectors are the most sure way of alerting students to a fire as soon as possible so they can exit the building quickly and safely."
"Otterbein College has invested heavily in fire alarm systems as the first line of defense," David Bell, director of Physical Plant and Telecommunications, said.
According to Benner, Otterbein is always striving to comply with the current state fire code.
Last Tuesday, Otterbein Security teamed up with the Westerville Division of Fire in conducting a simulated fire burn in the Campus Center West parking lot. Officer James Teegarden, head of the fire simulation, felt it was important to educate students of the dangers of dorm fires.
"It really gave students an understanding of just how fast a fire can spread," Teegarden said. "Other schools will have simulations comparing a dorm room with and without a sprinkler system to show how the sprinkler controls the fire and how long it takes to put out the fire."
Kayleigh Hanlin, junior public relations major, who attended the simulation, feels sprinklers should be installed in all of the dorm rooms.
"Watching the simulation I felt, even though it was outside, a fire can really spread that fast and if sprinklers could defuse the fire faster and save students' valuable items and potentially their lives, then I think they should be installed," Hanlin said.
"State building code only applies to new or remodeled buildings," said Inspector Doug Arter of the Westerville Fire Department. "Buildings that have passed inspection are allowed to remain in use until they are modified."
"The installation of the smoke detection and sprinkler systems are both driven by the Ohio Building Code. It is the owner's responsibility to maintain and test these systems to ensure reliability and code conformity," Bell said. "This is done on a scheduled basis by our Security and Service departments and an outside certified fire alarm testing company."
From here on out, once a new residence hall is built on campus, the college has to install sprinkler systems. As renovations are being made, systems will be installed as required by law. t&c;
