SAU Fire - Some Thoughts

[james423]

Quote from a Southern Adventist University press office dispatch:

"At 5:47 p.m., Bob Pollard, assistant director from the State Fire Marshall's Office, announced that the fire scene investigation was complete and that the fire had been ruled accidental...."We've ruled out electrical, and we've ruled out arson," said Pollard. "We can't give the fire department enough praise," he continued. "Their quick

response and quick actions from the time the fire was reported saved a lot

of lives."

"Every system the university had worked perfectly and functioned 100 percent," Pollard explained. "The smoke alarms did what they were supposed to do. The alarms went off when there was only a small amount of smoke in the building, which gave the residents time to evacuate."

"We can't explain why one resident went toward the fire instead of away from it while everyone was exiting the building. This is a great tragedy that there is no explanation for," he continued.

"A sprinkler system would not have avoided the loss of life in this situation," said Pollard. "Sprinklers activate after smoke alarms and only when the temperature has reached well over 200 degrees."

Comments:

1. A front-page article in the main Chattanooga paper the Times Free Press has this to say in the paragraph just below the one quoted above:

"But Al Hancock, assistant director for code enforcement with the Tennessee Fire Marshal's Office, said the state has seen no fatalities in building fires where sprinkler systems worked."

The article also commented that a dormitory building built before 1996 was not required to have a sprinkler system, but that those regulations just may change. Tennessee Governor Bredesen said that the state just might have to take a "fresh look at it".

2. Sophomore Ellen Bascom is also quoted in that article as saying that she was 10 doors down from the scene. She mentioned that "students typically ignore fire alarms".

3. My daughter, who was a student in that dorm, has told me that the fire drills she dealt with as a resident taught the girls to go to the front and out the front of the building, never down the back stairs. This just might explain why the girl who died was headed toward the fire, which was between her and the front of the building.

4. The article also mentioned that at Lee University in Cleveland, which suffered a residential fire in 1993 with 17 students injured, had sprinklers and smoke detectors in every room without exception.

5. The fire department did a praiseworthy job although the article could not explain why the newspaper was unable to view the previous fire inspections of the building done by the local fire department. I would think those are public property.

6. In all the outpouring of grief, I think we need to remember that despite the state fire marshal's office's soothing words something went very, very, very wrong and one person paid the ultimate penalty.

7. On a happier note, many local churches and businesses joined together to get the girls whatever they needed (some were apparently attending tests in pajamas), even as one girl commented - "socks". [from one of Southern's QuickNotes emails]

[james423]

My wife just heard on the news this evening that the dead resident was found about 15 feet away from the couch that burst into flame and apparently set the building on fire and that the remains of a candle were discovered in the couch area. Perhaps the resident woke up, remembered the candle, and went to see what she could do about it.

[K]

This is speculation on my part, but candles are forbidden at Union College. If you get caught with a candle in your room, you would be fined. Perhaps she was trying to get that candle out of there if they have a prohibition against them too.

K

[_david]

they are forbidden... as i would suspect at any dormitory.

[Dottie]

This is third-hand as my daughter lives in the area, and has a close friend who is dormitory. She said that the girl who died was sound asleep when the alarms went off at 3:30, and didn't have her contacts (which were a strong prescription)in, which may have contributed to her turning the wrong way.