Parents send their children off to school with hopes that they are completely safe within their environment. They check the safety of the location of the dorm, as well as look for adequate safety patrol before feeling comfortable to send their child to a certain school. One aspect that some parents may not question in relation to the safety of their child is fire suppression.

In case of a fire, who is responsible for assuring residents get out the building? According to Brooke Waller, junior public relations major and resident assistant for Barbee Hall, that job is left for the RAs  as well as housing directors.

“Our job as RAs is to knock on every resident’s door, and tell them to evacuate the building. We get them out while still getting to safety ourselves.”

In the circumstance in which a resident or a group of residents do not comply with the requests of the RA or the housing director, those individuals are subject to being fined a fee.

To ensure residents know what do in case a fire happens, random drills are set by Environmental Health and Safety department according to Cooper Hall housing director Teron Martin. Housing directors as well as RAs are required to alert residents and have them stand at least 150 ft away from the building.

“It’s easier to let residents know who live in a dorm with an intercom system,” said Martin.

“We make the announcement, then do a sweep through of the floors to make sure everyone has made it out safe.”

All dorm buildings on the campus of North Carolina A&T are equipped with fire extinguishers in the event one would occur. Anyone is able to use the fire extinguisher granted they know how to use it.

“Environmental, Safety, and Health came in and trained our RAs with fire safety” said Assistant Director of Residence Life, Vanessa Woodard. According to the schedule for the Para-Professional Leaders Conference provided by Woodard,  RAs this past August attended a safety and security session in which they were instructed what to do in case of a fire, as well as become familiar with a fire extinguisher.

According to RAs in Barbee Hall, this school year, they have not received such training. 

“One RA in Barbee has been ‘trained’,” said Waller. “I have only been trained on roommate conflict, and drug and alcohol abuse, I do not even know how to use an [fire] extinguisher.”

“I personally contacted Mrs. Woodard about a R.A. manual in Nov. and still have not received one,” said junior Raymond Beamon.

Woodard has know knowledge of the request, and said that to gain access of that manual, the proper person to contact would have been the housing director.

According to Tony Tyson, senior business administration and business education major, and veteran resident assistant for Cooper Hall, he does not believe a training has happened this year.

“I’ve been to trainings, but I did not go this school year,” said Tyson. “When I went, they showed us what to do, and for the most part people have seen how to use one [fire extinguisher] on T.V. or a real life situation. There’s really not too much to be trained on, it’s a simple thing.”     

• Kelcie McCrae