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Sprinklers to be installed in dormitories at 14 state universities following deadly fire
Friday, April 14, 2000 By Bill Schackner, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
The State System of Higher Education will install sprinklers in every one of its campus dormitory rooms under a five-year, $25 million to $50 million program motivated by a deadly fire in January at New Jersey's Seton Hall University.
The work will affect 33,000 students who live in residence halls on the system's 14 state university campuses, including California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock in Western Pennsylvania.
The system's board of governors, which approved the plan yesterday, said yearly dormitory fees may be raised by $75 to $150 to cover the work. The increase might be smaller if the state provides aid, leaders said.
The decision does not apply to the four state-related universities, though one of them, the University of Pittsburgh, told legislators in February that it had begun its own five-year campaign to retrofit its dormitory rooms with sprinklers. Its dorms house 5,700 students.
Most of the State System's 147 dormitories are due for major renovations during the next five years, so the sprinklers will be added as part of those improvements, system officials said.
The dormitories on average are 35 to 40 years old and are generally made of concrete and steel, State System spokesman Kenn Marshall said.
But at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, the State System is mandating that sprinklers be retrofitted more quickly in Becht Hall, a four-story wood-frame building that houses 160 women. In anticipation of that vote, Clarion trustees have authorized $185,000 to complete the installation this summer in time for fall classes in September.
"We believe we have a very strong fire safety program in place now, but in light of the Seton Hall fire and the increasing concern about safety, we felt it was appropriate," Marshall said after yesterday's unanimous vote.
He was optimistic that students and parents would be receptive to the fee increase.
"I don't think it's a large amount to pay for the added safety," Marshall said.
The National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass., said it had no data on how many college dormitories now have in-room sprinklers. But trade groups representing contractors said the Seton Hall fire has added momentum already under way because of changing building codes.
"A whole lot of areas are moving to retrofitting because of fire officials. They're tired of rescuing kids from these fires," said Janet Knowles, spokeswoman for the American Fire Sprinkler Association in Dallas.
In the Seton Hall blaze, three students died and 62 others were injured when fire struck a high-rise dormitory. The tragedy sparked interest in sprinklers among state legislators and prompted the State System in February to begin developing recommendations for retrofitting its dorms.
That study was already under way when another fatal fire, this one March 19 at a fraternity house at Bloomsburg University, killed three students.
An engineering consultant hired by the State System said installing sprinklers might end up costing $88 million if water delivery systems serving the buildings need to be upgraded. But Marshall labeled that scenario unlikely and said officials expect the work will not exceed $50 million.
Several bills are pending in the state House and Senate that would help colleges pay for sprinklers through grants or low-interest loans.
"We're going to be talking to the Legislature to see if there is any possibility they would participate in joint funding," Marshall said.
Among the other state-related schools, Penn State University said yesterday that eight of its 72 dormitories statewide have sprinklers. Another 10 to 15 buildings will be retrofitted by the year 2015, and planners are evaluating the feasibility of doing work on other buildings.
"We've certainly been looking at the issue and assessing how much it would cost," spokeswoman Christy Rambeau said.
Two of Temple University's six residence halls are equipped and a third will be retrofitted by summer, spokeswoman Harriet Goodheart said. There are no plans for the remaining three.
A Lincoln University spokesman was unable to provide information about residence halls on his campus yesterday.
State System students already pay an average annual room fee of $2,370. Student leaders at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the largest campus in the system, expressed mixed feelings yesterday about the sprinklers.
"In terms of safety, of course it makes sense," said David Best, president of IUP's student congress. "But what happens if they misfire and go off for no reason?"
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