2008 Woodie Awards
Lack of Response to Music Building Fire
Dan Giannotta
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor:
I walked out of Seimens Hall at Humboldt State University at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29. I saw multiple emergency vehicles
with lights flashing and several small crowds of people gathered behind some rope barricades. The fire in the music building was less than 50 feet from the
class I had just left. I was greeted with the smell of smoke that obviously contained chemicals that were not meant to be burned.
Where was the fire alarm?????
After a minute or so,I walked back into the
administration office, (which is the first door on the left when you walk into the top of Siemens Hall) to see why the building had not been evacuated yet. The entire staff of this office was looking out the window at the fire. One man came over to me right away, and I asked why the alarm was not going off in the building. His reply was that the fire was in the next building
over.
I asked,"Are you going to wait until this building IS on fire before you get everybody out?"
I am sorry, but I feel like my life is worth more than that. The fire alarm is there for a reason, and that
is to warn people about fire. When there is a fire in the next building over, GET OUT AND BE SAFE.
Humboldt State can afford an emergency text message system, but can't afford pulling a fire alarm? What good is a text message when I turn my phone off in class?
The HSU website has a news post called, "Fire Quickly Contained in The Music Building." It says, "Neighboring Siemens Hall was evacuated briefly when
prevailing winds pushed smoke into the building." NO. THIS IS WRONG. It was evacuated when I pulled the fire
alarm out of concern for my fellow students and teachers.
Daniel Giannotta, aka DJ Dub Cowboy
HSU Senior
KRFH Station Manager
I walked out of Seimens Hall at Humboldt State University at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29. I saw multiple emergency vehicles
with lights flashing and several small crowds of people gathered behind some rope barricades. The fire in the music building was less than 50 feet from the
class I had just left. I was greeted with the smell of smoke that obviously contained chemicals that were not meant to be burned.
Where was the fire alarm?????
After a minute or so,I walked back into the
administration office, (which is the first door on the left when you walk into the top of Siemens Hall) to see why the building had not been evacuated yet. The entire staff of this office was looking out the window at the fire. One man came over to me right away, and I asked why the alarm was not going off in the building. His reply was that the fire was in the next building
over.
I asked,"Are you going to wait until this building IS on fire before you get everybody out?"
I am sorry, but I feel like my life is worth more than that. The fire alarm is there for a reason, and that
is to warn people about fire. When there is a fire in the next building over, GET OUT AND BE SAFE.
Humboldt State can afford an emergency text message system, but can't afford pulling a fire alarm? What good is a text message when I turn my phone off in class?
The HSU website has a news post called, "Fire Quickly Contained in The Music Building." It says, "Neighboring Siemens Hall was evacuated briefly when
prevailing winds pushed smoke into the building." NO. THIS IS WRONG. It was evacuated when I pulled the fire
alarm out of concern for my fellow students and teachers.
Daniel Giannotta, aka DJ Dub Cowboy
HSU Senior
KRFH Station Manager
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Tim
posted 2/20/08 @ 10:11 PM PST
So here's what you're asking us to do:
When a tiny little fire breaks out somewhere on campus the entire campus has one giant fire alarm that goes off. (Continued…)
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