ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 29, 1996 TAG: 9611290064
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
Five of the state's 13 high-rise dormitories without sprinkler systems are at Virginia Tech.
University officials say the concrete-and-stone dorms, built in the 1960s and '70s long before sprinklers were required, are safe and meet state building requirements.
"I'm not aware of any discussion to retrofit the residence halls," Tech Vice President for Finance Ray Smoot said. "The newer residence halls have sprinklers as required by the building code; the older ones do not. They do have alarm systems and/or smoke detectors."
University spokesman Dave Nutter said it would cost a minimum of $3.2 million to install sprinklers, not counting engineering costs.
One of the five dorms, Slusher Hall, is about 35 feet higher than Blacksburg's tallest fire ladder. The other four, all in the lower quad, are Ambler Johnston, O'Shaugnessy, Pritchard and Lee halls. They all can be reached by the 85-foot ladder, which Town Manager Ron Secrist said he expects to replace with a higher ladder in 1998-1999.
Tech pays 40 percent of the town Fire Department budget. A new ladder truck costs $600,000.
The university dorm and dining office employs a full-time fire safety officer, said Ed Spencer, assistant vice president for student affairs.
"I'm not convinced that adding sprinkler systems dramatically increases safety in residence halls, or any buildings," Spencer said. "The few problems we have with fires tend to be very self-contained and spotted in a hurry because every dorm room has smoke detector. Public areas are hard-wired into a system that goes directly to the Virginia Tech police."
Tech officials say that every time an alarm goes off, police call the Blacksburg Fire Department, which then responds.
At Radford University, Muse Hall - where students safely exited a top-floor fire some years ago - also has no sprinkler system, and is about 35 feet higher than the city's tallest fire ladder. City Fire Chief Martin Roberts said a large standpipe runs up the center of the building, which firefighters can fill with pumped water, then fight fires from inside with hoses.
Smoke alarms are wired in all rooms and sprinklers are installed in the trash chutes. The building recently passed a fire marshal's inspection, said Dave Armstrong, Radford's assistant vice president for facilities. But an insurance carrier has recommended installing sprinklers in Muse Hall, he said. That would cost $900,000.
Sprinklers would be ideal, Armstrong said, "but I do feel that we're taking all the precautions we can at this time."
In 1991, the state ordered sprinkler systems into newly built residence halls taller than four stories. Fire experts consider the automatic systems the best firefighters next to humans.
At Tech, 8,400 students live in the 34 dormitories and Greek houses on campus, making it the nation's 15th-largest residence hall community.
The Associated Press contributed information to this report.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF Slusher Hall, tallest building on theby CNBTech campus, is about 35 feet higher than Blacksburg's tallest fire
ladder.