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Paul Smith's College
is urging the Town of Brighton not to pass a law that would make the
school liable for fines every time volunteer firefighters are
summoned for non-emergencies.
The Paul
Smiths-Gabriels Volunteer Fire Department reported showing up to the
campus 37 times in less than three months for automatic alarm
activations it says are avoidable. Seventeen of the alarms were for
burnt food. Five of the alarms were set off by shower steam.
The college has an
in-line alarm system that prompts an automatic response from
dispatchers in Saranac Lake and volunteer firefighters in the Town
of Brighton.
Paul Smiths Fire
Chief Roger Smith said the volume of false alarms at the college is
taking its toll on department morale and complained that fewer and
fewer members are responding.
“Yesterday, we
responded to two avoidable alarms at the college,” Smith said. “One
was because someone didn't turn the fan on in the kitchen the other
was steam from a shower. The point is that when the alarm goes off
now, the majority of the membership is thinking 'another alarm at
Paul Smith's College.'”
But at a public
hearing held Tuesday, the college's risk manager, Susan Sweeney,
tried to assure the board that the college is working to address the
problem and that a law isn't necessary. “The college
absolutely understands that these are volunteers, these are people
that are taking time from their families or their work to come out
and answer these calls.”
The law would punish
only so-called “avoidable alarms,” which it defines in part as
alarms caused by “carelessness, negligence (and) improper
installation or improper maintenance.”
Sweeney said the
wording is vague and defended the college's alarm system noting that
it meets local and state standards.
“Our systems are
functioning properly,” she said. “They were designed, they were
approved by, all of the code inspectors, the fire inspectors –
including those of the Town of Brighton – and they are functioning
properly. We are not looking at quote, unquote ‘false alarms.’”
Sweeney suggested
that campus security be authorized by the fire department to respond
when only a single detector is activated.
But Fire Chief Smith
Roger Smith has been cool to the idea. He argues that in the case of
a real fire, the loss of response time could make the difference in
the loss of property and life.
Several town
residents spoke out in favor of the local law. Both Lee Robert
[row-bear] of Paul Smiths and Pat Willis of Rainbow Lake urged the
college to fix the problem for the sake of student safety.
“Eventually the students are going to be so apathetic over that
stupid alarm that's going off, it will be the real deal, they're not
going to be motivated and there will either be an injury or worse
yet loss of life,” Robert said.
“I would think that the college itself would be most concerned
itself to correct this situation,” Willis added.
The draft law under
consideration would allow the town to fine repeat offenders between
$100 and $1,000 per incident. The town board and fire chief insist
that the law would apply to all automatic fire alarms – which are
also popular with seasonal camps in the area.
But since the law
separates property owners into two categories, those with systems of
more than six detectors and smaller systems with less, the college
feels singled out, said Michael Harrington, the college’s chief
student affairs officer. “Currently the way the law is set up,
it really identifies that there is a target for this law and it's
not local camps, it's anybody over six [detectors] which just
happens to be Paul Smith's College.”
Harrington told WNBZ
that the college will continue to work with the town and fire
department to find a solution. He made no secret that the college's
lawyers are studying the proposed law carefully.
“The question will be
can the college pay the cost associated with the fines, will it
force some kind of discussion or litigation, those are all questions
that come up. All I can speak for is from our standpoint which is
we'll continue to work on preventing as many of the alarms as we can
and we'll continue to research other alternatives that are
acceptable.”
The town took no
action at the meeting. Acting Town Supervisor David Knapp said the
law would be on the board's agenda when it reconvenes on Thursday.
-Jacob Resneck,
12-10-08
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