Richardson Towers looked like a towering inferno Friday as the Memphis Fire Department fought through thick black smoke and searched for “victims” in a simulated high-rise fire.
As part of a drill for firefighters, The MFD used non-toxic “theatre smoke” on the vacant seventh and eighth floors of the 10-story Richardson Towers dormitory. Victims were supplied by Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton’s Youth Initiative program.
Firefighters searched smoke filled rooms and hallways for victims as they would in the case of a real fire. Victims were instructed to hide in rooms until they were discovered. One victim, 16-year-old Andrew Burnett, hid under a sink and was never found by the firefighters.
“(The firefighters) came in and looked under the bed and everywhere else, but they didn’t check under the sink,” Burnett said.
Officials said that is why drills like Friday’s are so important. It gives firefighters a chance to correct mistakes that could be fatal in a real fire.
The drill, conducted in conjunction with The University’s Residence Life and Employee Safety and Health offices, consisted of six companies from the MFD and is considered essential training for the department.
“The biggest problem for us in a high-rise structure is the coordinating effort, keeping track of all my companies and getting them in in an organized effective manner,” said Battalion Chief, Ken Reeves. “Plus, our guys experience the physical exertion needed first hand to get all the equipment up the stairs.”
Because elevator doors shut automatically in case of fire, firefighters, in their bulky, smoke-stained uniforms had to haul 60 pounds of equipment, including hoses and fans to clear smoke, up the stairs.
“You really get an idea of how much effort this takes,” said Chief Skeeter Rutledge before 26 exhausted, Gatorade-gulping firefighters.
According to Reeves, students often complicate the MFD’s job by propping open fire safety doors. Open doors allow the number one cause of fire-related deaths, toxic smoke, to flow freely throughout the building.
University and Fire Department officials also expressed “grave concern” over the number of false alarms at Richardson Towers.
Between Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 there were nearly 20 false alarms at Richardson Towers. The excessive number of false alarms can cause a “boy who cried wolf” syndrome among residents.
“The problem is when you get a real fire, especially for the people on the upper floors, by the time they finally realize it’s a real fire and time to get out, it’s too late,” said fire and safety inspector Dan Fitzgerald.
“We feel there is a strong likelihood that if there is a fire in any of these structures, we will have the same situation that we have every time there is a false alarm — people ignoring the alarm and staying in place,” Reeves said.
If discovered, students who do not exit the building after a fire alarm is sounded will report to Judicial Affairs for punishment and possible eviction from the building. Firefighters have the ability to physically remove students from the building and place them under arrest.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 33 students died and 102 others were injured from fires in college dormitories and fraternity and sorority houses between 1990 and 2000.
