Ball State University students tired of walking in and out of buildings for fire alarms may be able to blame construction dust for the interruptions.
Since Aug. 1, 31 unplanned fire alarms have gone off in 19 buildings across campus. Woodworth Complex has had the most alarms triggered, six, followed by the Art and Journalism building with three. Fire detectors located in air ducts can malfunction when dirt enters the detector from air circulating within the building, Ross Walter, superintendent of building maintenance, said.
"Overall our fire protection systems are in good condition and well-maintained," he said.
If dust is suspected of triggering a false alarm, the detector is taken down, cleaned and replaced. Walter said if the alarm activates again for any reason, it is inspected to ensure safety.
Part of the inspection process includes testing the volume emitted from the alarm, Jim Lowe, director of engineering and operations, said. A fire detector must register between 85 and 90 decibels, he said, to meet state codes.
While the sound is ear-piercing, it is not loud enough to cause hearing damage. According to the Dangerous Decibels Web site, a person would have to be exposed to the level of sound emitted by alarms emit for eight hours in order for it to cause damage. Therefore, the numerous alarms are not harming student hearing.
The fire alarms have occurred for various reasons, Walter said. Workers are given procedural guidelines to follow when working near or with fire alarms to prevent activating them. However, even with the guidelines, Walter said regular building maintenance and construction work contributes to false fire alarms.
"I know we have some alarms that could have been avoided with a little more thought and care," he said. "But overall I think everything is in good condition."
In comparison to past semesters, Walter does not believe the frequency of fire alarms has increased.
While possibly inconvenient to students, Lowe said the alarms indicate the detector is doing what it's supposed to.
"The signal allows us to respond and rectify the situation," he said.
Lowe said when a number of false alarms, or trouble calls, accumulate, the system is evaluated. Something as simple as burning popcorn can trigger a trouble call, he said. It may also be caused by the system's age or by dust that has accumulated throughout the years.
One building which has had numerous problems with false alarms is the Health and Physical Activities Building, Lowe said.
Barring any unforeseen interruptions, the fire detection system will be updated in HPAB within a month and a half, he said.
The construction will be done at night and in unused rooms during the day to inconvenience as few people as possible, Lowe said. Once the parts arrive, it should take two to three weeks to install, he said.
The system will cost between $7 thousand and $10 thousand dollars, Lowe said.
"A full-blown system would be more, but we're reusing and updating materials," he said.
The new system will identify the room number of the detector that has been activated as opposed to the old system which only identifies a floor number, Lowe said.
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