October 20, 2009

Purdue outlines plans for upgrades to fire protection systems

"Safety is our highest priority as we consider repairs and rehabilitations to our buildings," said Robert McMains, vice president for physical facilities. "The administration has worked hard to establish a funding plan for this work, and we've already begun steps to prioritize projects based on safety. It was one of the first steps Al Diaz took when he became our new executive vice president for business and finance, treasurer July 1."

To date, of the 160 academic buildings on campus larger than 14,000 square feet, 88 percent have sprinklers and smoke alarms. Of the remaining 20 buildings, Elliott Hall is among the five highest priority buildings, along with Stewart Center, Wade Utility Plant, Forestry, and Lambert Fieldhouse. 

"Our plan is to make sure there are fire alarm systems in these five buildings as soon as possible," McMains said. "Then we'll work our way down the list, installing fire alarms while also working to install sprinklers in the top-priority buildings."

Many of the campus buildings were erected long before smoke alarms and sprinklers were available. In lieu of an alarm system in Elliott, firefighters or patrols stand watch during every performance and student exam session.

"A student patrol guard, for example, spotted the smoke in Elliott that led to a quick evacuation Monday," McMains said. "That system has worked well, but we intend to improve it."

The fire cause no injuries and did minor damage to a locker room and bulletin board in the basement of the building. More than 900 students who had been taking exams were evacuated for an hour. Police have issued a drawing of a person reportedly seen running from the area.

Installing fire alarms in Elliott is expected to cost $1 million while sprinklers would be expected to run $10 million for the system itself as well as for upgrades to other features of the theater that would be required with any renovation.

Upgrades are paid for from the repair and rehabilitation budget, for which a funding plan was put in place a few years ago to ensure the university keeps pace even during years of tight state budgets. This year, the budget also has been assisted with federal stimulus funding.

The university also has plans for its self-supporting units, such as University Residences. One hundred percent of the rooms there have smoke detectors or alarms. For those with battery-operated smoke alarms, the batteries are checked monthly. Seventy-five percent of the almost 12,000 beds have sprinklers. Funding is in place so that 86 percent of the total beds will have systems by the end of 2012.

University Residences has spent more than $23 million on upgrades since 2000, when only 6.7 percent of the rooms were fully alarmed and had sprinklers. Plans are to complete all those buildings higher than two stories – Meredith Hall, part of Harrison Hall and one wing of Windsor Hall - in the next three years.

Other academic buildings on the list for installations and/or upgrades are:

Purdue Armory

Grissom Hall

Airport terminal

Aerospace Sciences Laboratory

Small Animal Hospital

Westwood

Showe House

Forestry Products Building

Entomology Environmental Laboratory

Heavilon Hall

Smith Hall

Poultry Sciences Annex

Nuclear Engineering Building

Herrick Labs

Engineering Administration Building

Grounds Maintenance Building

Writer: Jeanne Norberg, jnorberg@purdue.edu, 765-494-2084

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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