Students living in Shively Hall were jarred awake by the familiar sound of a fire alarm yesterday morning after a faulty door-closing mechanism set off a sprinkler in the Grab N Go, flooding the area.
The door knocked off a sprinkler head on the ceiling after being pushed beyond its limits, said Gwyn Scott, executive director of Culinary and Dining Operations. This activated the sprinkler, setting off fire alarms throughout the building.
I don't know that it was something we could have prevented
Scott said.
Jim Yute, general manager of Shively Court, said the room's layout contributed to the incident.
The problem is that the ceiling in the Grab N Go is so low that the sprinkler head is lower than the top of the door he said. This might present problems in the future. It was a simple oversight.
The Grab N Go was closed for repair and reopened within the hour, Scott said.
It was closed for just moments she said.
Students living in Shively said they weren't surprised.
The fact that there's a dining hall below us means things are going to happen
said Nicole Lavelle, a sophomore studying business pre-law.
It's not the building's first alarm.
We have fire alarms all the time
said Breanna Tilton, a sophomore studying accounting. I hate living here.
The alarms have been so numerous, in fact, that one student has begun to ignore them. Sophomore Clinton Amand, who is studying video production, stayed in bed when he heard the alarm go off.
I knew it wasn't anything serious
he said. I haven't gone outside for the past two (alarms) because it's like the boy who cried wolf here.
OU spent $10.4 million to renovate Shively's dining hall, which re-opened this quarter. The building can house 135 students, according to OU's Web site.
Improvements are planned for the Grab N Go within the next week, Yute said - it will receive double doors and recessed sprinklers.
We're really sorry it happened
he said.
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News
Rebecca McKinsey
