WOODWARD HALL POWER SHORTAGE
MATT MAHAN OBSERVER STAFF WRITER
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: News
An equipment malfunction Saturday night caused a power outage and an evacuation in Woodward Hall.
The trouble was caused by an air handler unit in Stonsby Commons. The air handler, essentially a vent fan, burnt out its motor.
The fire alarm system monitors air handler activity, in order to shut the vents off to prevent the spread of air in case of a fire.
The system took the air handler failing as a sign that there was a fire, and so set off the fire alarms, according to Associate Dean of Housing and Residential Life Tim Johnson.
The power outage was caused by the breaker on the air handler being flipped when the motor blew out.
Electricians were called to ascertain the cause of the power outage, but as of press time Johnson was unable to say whether the air handler unit had been fully repaired.
Fire alarms were only triggered on the first few floors of Woodward because, according to Johnson, in a high rise building only the alarms of nearby floors go off in the event of a fire.
There were, however, no lights on in rooms, so residents were evacuated to Paul Robeson Campus Center, which is the evacuation point for Woodward in case of an emergency.
Woodward is also equipped with a backup generator to run security systems and elevators. The generator runs on diesel.
The incident was a rare one. Associate Dean Johnson said, "First time it's happened in the 12 years I've been here."
The trouble was caused by an air handler unit in Stonsby Commons. The air handler, essentially a vent fan, burnt out its motor.
The fire alarm system monitors air handler activity, in order to shut the vents off to prevent the spread of air in case of a fire.
The system took the air handler failing as a sign that there was a fire, and so set off the fire alarms, according to Associate Dean of Housing and Residential Life Tim Johnson.
The power outage was caused by the breaker on the air handler being flipped when the motor blew out.
Electricians were called to ascertain the cause of the power outage, but as of press time Johnson was unable to say whether the air handler unit had been fully repaired.
Fire alarms were only triggered on the first few floors of Woodward because, according to Johnson, in a high rise building only the alarms of nearby floors go off in the event of a fire.
There were, however, no lights on in rooms, so residents were evacuated to Paul Robeson Campus Center, which is the evacuation point for Woodward in case of an emergency.
Woodward is also equipped with a backup generator to run security systems and elevators. The generator runs on diesel.
The incident was a rare one. Associate Dean Johnson said, "First time it's happened in the 12 years I've been here."
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