# Fight for Student Safety on this Campus



## jar546 (Sep 18, 2018)

Putting student safety first - after an inspection found that apartment-style dorms for the University of North Carolina Asheville do not meet fire safety standards, the university is paying for off-duty firefighters to reside there.

More...

Continue reading...


----------



## Francis Vineyard (Sep 18, 2018)

What's true?

"Regarding media reports on the situation, there have been numerous inaccuracies in the stories related to The Woods. To clarify, there are no building code violations in any of the five residence halls as per the State Construction Office, which has the statutory approval authority for building code compliance and occupancy for state buildings.

Finally, the issues raised in the media relating to substandard construction were referenced in a Stop Work order issued by the State Construction Office, dated 6/14/18. These issues were addressed by the designer through a detailed plan executed over the course of four days. The detailed plan was reviewed by the State Construction Office on 6/18/18 and the Stop Work order was lifted on 6/19/18.

https://facilities.unca.edu/construction

The University has agreed to the following abatement plan:


Repositioning the valves on the water supply pipes in the stairwells so that when firehoses are attached to them, they will no longer pose an obstruction to evacuating residents.
4
Installing a sprinkler system in the attic of each dormitory acceptable to the Department of Insurance and the State Construction Office. This will make the dorms and stairwells safer in the event of a fire.
The agreement includes special fire protection measures for the University to take to protect students while the abatement takes place:


The University must allow the Asheville Fire Department to park a fire engine with a 35-foot ladder near the dormitories.
The University will house four Asheville firefighters in one of the dorms free of charge. In addition, a 24-hour fire watch by a competent adult shall be implemented in each of the other four dorms.
In the spring of 2018, the Asheville Fire Department alerted NCDOI of fire hazards in the construction of the residence halls. The NCDOI Risk Management Division proactively recommended ways to remedy the hazards. By law, NCDOI could not intervene until the State Construction Office issued its Certificate of Occupancy.

http://www.ncdoi.com/Media/News2/Year/2018/081818a.asp


----------



## JBI (Sep 18, 2018)

"Improperly constructed firewalls"
I was tempted to e-mail the article author on this little faux pas. It's a pet peeve of mine, the use of incorrect terminology. When 'professionals' (regardless of area of expertise) use incorrect terminology it irks the snot out of me.
The assemblies in question were fire _barriers_ *not* fire walls.


----------



## Francis Vineyard (Sep 18, 2018)

Could they have required the additional sprinklers to compensate for the inadequate stairs and shaft protection?


----------



## Paul Sweet (Sep 19, 2018)

I wonder whether the sprinkler system was a 13R system which didn't require sprinklering the attic.  This is typical in apartments, and I know of several apartment buildings which were destroyed when a fire started on the outside, got into the attic through soffit vents, and roared through the attic even though the floors below were sprinklered.  Amazingly people got out and there were no fatalities.


----------



## ICE (Sep 19, 2018)

JBI said:


> "Improperly constructed firewalls"
> I was tempted to e-mail the article author on this little faux pas. It's a pet peeve of mine, the use of incorrect terminology. When 'professionals' (regardless of area of expertise) use incorrect terminology it irks the snot out of me.
> The assemblies in question were fire _barriers_ *not* fire walls.


Mine is “hot water heater”.


----------



## JCraver (Sep 20, 2018)

ICE said:


> Mine is “hot water heater”.



I wish I could "like" that post more than once.  That phrase tops the list of rage-inducing things I hear every day.  It's a favorite of out-of-town plumbers.  You know, the same one's who forget to bring their license and/or license number with them when they come to town.....


----------



## Francis Vineyard (Sep 20, 2018)

JCraver said:


> I wish I could "like" that post more than once.  That phrase tops the list of rage-inducing things I hear every day.  It's a favorite of out-of-town plumbers.  You know, the same one's who forget to bring their license and/or license number with them when they come to town.....


Here, you can have mine


----------

