Some UO dorms lack overhead fire sprinklers

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Story Published: Oct 9, 2008 at 8:47 PM PST

By Elissa Harrington

EUGENE, Ore. - Overhead fire sprinklers are something you see in just about every big building but where you won't see them might surprise you.

Three residence halls on the University of Oregon campus - Bean, Riley and Earl -- only have them in basement.

"These were built before the code required it," says Chuck Campbell, UO's Fire Protection Manager. "And to go back and retrofit would be a tremendous amount of money."

He says the school would love to have sprinklers in every building but assures me they do have a safety plan which includes inspections, fire drills, and fire escapes at the end of each hall.

Many students I talked to were unawared their residence was not equipped with fire sprinklers.

Does it make them concerned? "A little bit now that I know of it," says Rebecca Winard.

"Honestly I'm not really too concerned," says Bean resident Marysha Cihak, "Honestly I'm not really too concerned. They do a pretty good job of making sure we don't have anything like an open flame."

"It does concern me," says student Laurel Goold. "My dad is a fire fighter and we have them in our house."

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