Why it is a bad idea to cover an incadescent lamp with a close, metal shade with a cloth and then leave it, to boot.
I live in res at school and I was up late studying, last night. After I had finished I went to brush my teeth. On the way back from the bathroom, I smelled something like smoke so I went to check what it was, thinking that perhaps someone had left an element on in the kitchenette or something. Before I got there, the smell had stopped so I turned around and began looking at doors to see where it was coming from (after looking at the lights to make sure I wasn't just imagining it). The first door I looked at was open a bit and the room was full of smoke. I poked my head in to see if anyone was in there and immediately pulled back again because I'd forgotten how much it stings the eyes. So I went and knocked on our don's door, in which time one of the girls who was staying in that room came out in a bit of a confused state. The don came out and we flicked on the light to the room to see what was going on, and the other girl who was in there had just returned from the bathroom and saw the problem immediately and when she took the cloth off of the bedside lamp it burst into flames. She dropped it on the hallway floor, the don grabbed a blanket, and we had the fun of stomping on it in our sandels. Around then the fire alarm finally went off and we all had to evacuate the building. And as our doors are key card entry, when the alarm went off I couldn't use my card to get into my room to fetch my coat, so I had the fun of standing in freezing weather in sandels, loose shorts, and a loose t-shirt until my don lent me her coat (and she was in turn lent a coat by someone with a sweater). Apparently they were having trouble turning off the light because the switch was finicky and decided that covering it would serve just as well. *facedesk*
Please, learn from their mistake.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Well, excitement! I missed all that.
quote:Around then the fire alarm finally went off and we all had to evacuate the building. And as our doors are key card entry, when the alarm went off I couldn't use my card to get into my room to fetch my coat,
Are you saying that if the alarm goes off the key cards become unusable?
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
So it seems. And I'm shocked at how much smoke there can be in a room before the smoke alarm notices anything!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Well, these are student residences. You don't want the alarms to go off every time someone burns toast.
EDIT: And about the keys. That doesn't make much sense: If I'm passed out in my room and the building is on fire, how do firemen rescue me?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Firemen have axes.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi: Well, these are student residences. You don't want the alarms to go off every time someone burns toast.
EDIT: And about the keys. That doesn't make much sense: If I'm passed out in my room and the building is on fire, how do firemen rescue me?
Why would it matter if they have the keys? Firemen are the people who will break the windows of your car to run a hose through rather than lay it on the roof or underneath.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Firemen have axes.
That seems needlessly complicated and would take a long time...
I also wonder how they would change the locks. As far as I can tell they are not connected to a wire of any kind. It would have to be done wirelessly.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I agree that it would be better to be able to just unlock the doors. But it actually doesn't take an experienced fireman very long to hack through a door.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
She said the doors are key card entry; does that mean that you could still exit your room even if the entry locks were disabled? That makes sense to me if it's the case; it allows people to leave the building but prevents anyone from running back into their room in a burning building to try to get something.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
You usually don't need a key card to open those types of doors to get OUT, just to get in.
They go that so that someone doesn't go back in...say for a coat..and get burned alive.
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
Teshi,
You're right about the burnt toast, but the alarm should probably go off if the toast is now a briquette. I can understand it being turned down in the kitchen, especially, but you'd think that the smoke detector in the room would have gone off a little earlier as technically we're not supposed to have any burning objects in our rooms, I don't think.
Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I agree that it would be better to be able to just unlock the doors. But it actually doesn't take an experienced fireman very long to hack through a door.
Thats not even related to the point.
Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :
If it's anything like the keycard systems I've seen and worked with, you can exit when they've locked, but not re-enter after alarms. As was stated, this prevents someone from running in and doing something stupid. Most systems have varying levels of permissions--administration and campus security undoubtedly have "master" key cards that override any lockdown.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by HollowEarth:
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I agree that it would be better to be able to just unlock the doors. But it actually doesn't take an experienced fireman very long to hack through a door.
Thats not even related to the point.
Um, you mean the point to which I was actually responding at that point? The one in the post directly above that one?
quote:Originally posted by Teshi:
quote:Firemen have axes.
That seems needlessly complicated and would take a long time...
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
To settle this debate, yes, you can exit the room without the aide of a key card, but to get in you need one. So no axes are needed unless you've passed out in your room and the firemen need to rescue you.
Posted by Anshi (Member # 9643) on :
This story makes me feel not so stupid anymore, after having set a box of soy milk on fire last night in an attempt to heat it in the microwave.
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)