Kylie Grunsfeld, Staff Columnist
The CT reported last semester that fire alarms went off 91 times across all student dorms during the 2024-2025 academic year. Of all of those instances, very few were due to actual emergencies.
The extensive amount of non-emergent alarms is an ongoing issue and a big turn-off from student housing for many prospective residents. I remember when I first researched on-campus living options, I found dozens of reviews warning me against living in halls like Gladding Residence Center and Cary & Belvidere. After living in these locations, I can’t say I would recommend them either.
As an on-campus resident, I am growing increasingly frustrated with every new alarm that goes off. I know I am not alone in this. The bright, flashing lights and eardrum-bursting sound is disrupting our sleep and activating our fight-or-flight.
VCU says “failure to evacuate or follow proper procedures could result in disciplinary action” in their follow-up emails regarding triggered alarms, but it’s unclear what those actions actually are. I have spoken with many residents who no longer evacuate during fire alarms, yet they have not yet received any form of discipline.
There are numerous factors that lead to residents staying in the building during an alarm: freezing weather, rain, late nights, early mornings, not wanting to climb up several flights of stairs — and a lack of concern that they need to acknowledge the situation in the first place.
It is hard to believe VCU would be able to pinpoint every single resident who chooses not to follow procedure.
While it may be a lot of work to round up each individual who stays inside, there is ample potential for VCU to develop a more consistent method of reprimanding the residents who cause evacuations in the first place — those who pull alarms as a joke, those who refuse go outside to smoke or vape.
VCU Residential Life and Housing did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding these issues.
Something needs to be done to break the pattern of avoidable evacuations, or I fear the apathy towards proper evacuation will only get worse and put on-campus residents in danger.
When so many false alarms happen one after another, why should any resident believe that the next one will be a real emergency? What incentive do they have to leave their building when no concrete punishments are handed out?
There is always a chance of a real fire that spreads uncontrollably, trapping unevacuated residents inside — endangering students who have not had any reason to think they would be unsafe.
We are lucky to have the fire department so close to campus, but there is no telling what kind of tragedy could eventually strike.
I implore VCU to develop a better system of ensuring the safety of its residents. They need to have more transparency when it comes to the consequences of illegally pulling an alarm, or setting it off with vapes or cigarettes — otherwise carelessness may cause us to suffer a fate much worse than having to stand outside in the cold at 3 a.m..