Purdue News

May 14, 2002 Purdue Fire Department to conduct high-rise drills WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Fire Department is using the break between the end of the spring semester and the start of conference season to conduct three high-rise training drills at Harrison Hall this week. The drills are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday (5/15), Thursday (5/16) and Friday (5/17) and are expected to last two to three hours each. Ken Alling, Purdue fire chief, says the eight-story undergraduate residence hall on the corner of State Street and MacArthur Drive is an ideal site for high-rise training. "High-rise buildings require some very specific strategies when it comes to evacuating civilians and containing a fire," he said. "A lot of it involves how and where you stage equipment, and Harrison Hall is well situated for simulating a variety of situations. We really appreciate the cooperation and assistance of the Harrison Hall staff in these exercises." The building also is centrally located on campus, and university officials do not want passersby to be alarmed when the fog machines are turned on and the fire trucks start to arrive. "We will be conducting three different exercises in conjunction with the West Lafayette Fire Department," Alling said. "Naturally we want it to be as realistic as possible, but we also want the public to know that it will be a controlled scene." CONTACT: Ken Alling, (765) 494-6910, kealling@purdue.edu. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page