A “Boy Who Cried Wolf Scenario”: Behind The Scenes of Hill House Fire Alarms

Sophia Willard ‘29

Illustration by Maggie Holsapple ‘29

A bag of chicken and toaster waffles are the perfect ingredients for a miserable night; the students of Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) living at 1225 Midland Avenue know this recipe well and are loath to remake it anytime soon. On the night of September 30th, Hill House reminded campus why it holds an infamous reputation among the student body. A series of repeated fire alarms—some of which turned out to be false—ruined everyone’s chance at a good night’s sleep. Now that they have caught up on their beauty rest, however, students are ready to give their thoughts on their home’s unreliable emergency system. 

The sixth floor saw the most action that night as two of its apartments triggered the alarms that dominated the evening. Abby Borkowski ‘28, Residential Advisor (RA) for the east half of six, was more annoyed than anything else. “I didn’t get very much sleep, and I had a 9 AM in the morning.” However, the Junior highlighted another standout event of the evening: “The miscommunication between campus safety and the students was very unfortunate—a lot of the residents were distressed. The fire alarms are a frequent occurrence, and we can’t change how these residents act in the kitchen unless they are taught properly.” Borkowski raises a valid and overlooked point in her argument; when SLC students, more traditionally Sophomores, are ushered to Hill House, it is most times their first experience with an unsupervised kitchen and—in Hill House’s case—a gas stove. When fire alarms inevitably occur, those responsible are rarely treated with the grace owed to a situation set up for failure. 

In conversation with Campus Safety, Assistant Vice President (AVP) Jim Verdicchio addressed the largest source of speculation floating around SLC in regard to fire alarm triggers: fines. “Failure to leave the building is a warning. First offenses are all warnings. The only thing that isn’t a warning is covering the smoke detectors.” Campus Safety had suspended the act of fining students as a way of penalization a few years into Verdicchio’s career at SLC, but had to reinstate it last spring after a series of hazardous violations. “There were four fires with ten detectors covered; we had to go back to fines. I don’t want to have to talk to somebody’s parents!” Verdicchio was defensive with his statement, but adamant about the communal aspect surrounding fire safety in Hill House. “The first fine is 500 dollars, the second is 1,000, and third I’ll get the fire marshal of New York City to come talk to you. You’re not just putting yourself in danger, but others, too.” 

Campus Safety Associate Director (AD) Kevin Brennan brought another issue to light, comparing the constant alarms to a “boy who cried wolf scenario. It’s a really dangerous one to get into.” In a dormitory as large as Hill House, the biggest concern in the event of a fire is the sheer number of bodies in the building that become less willing to leave their rooms as the number of false alarms stack. 

Those on the upper floors of Hill House feel this more than any others. For residents like sophomore Rowan Crawford ‘29, it feels more targeted “It’s important to note that I have some pretty severe knee problems” explained the fifth floorian “At the beginning of the year I evacuated for every single alarm, and then I started lessening my reaction time.” Crawford also pointed out another issue: “It’s very difficult to hear the alarm in my room. You can see the light flashing, but if the door is closed, it is virtually undetectable.” The fifth floorian stated, “My suitemate had to wake me. I didn’t realize what was happening and I couldn't hear anything” in regard to one of the alarms on the evening of September 30th, despite not identifying as a heavy sleeper. “I couldn't see anyone in the parking lot, either, so I assumed that it was just another quirk of Hill.” The next morning proved to be rough for Crawford, too, as the sophomore, who is wildly dedicated to her job as a TA for Public School 30, was already awake for the last of the alarms: “I was ready for the 6 AM one, but I didn’t realize that anything was happening because I was in the shower and I couldn't hear!” Nevertheless, Crawford persevered. “I went to work incredibly tired and frustrated as to why I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Moral of the story: the night that Hill House actually goes up in flames, I worry for the safety of my peers.”  

According to AD Brennan, those on the top floors are not the only ones who become disinclined as alarms ring on. “Yonkers has been cutting the amount of trucks deployed to Hill House with each alarm,” a very concerned Brennan noted. “The amount of time they take to get here gets more relaxed, too; that’s bad. We can’t have that.” 

The dilemma has raised the question across campus of how to reduce the excessive fire alarms in Hill House, both for student safety and the school’s reputation with Bronxville and Yonkers fire departments. “Maybe in the first week of people living in a Hill, they’re taught how to manage a stove. It’s critical to the wellbeing of everyone in the building!” suggested Borkowski. AVP Verdicchio provided insight on the detectors themselves: “The fire alarms detect particles in the air, not smoke. Bathrooms and kitchens have heat detectors, so doing your hair in your bathroom is okay, whereas doing it in your dorm would trigger it. If you really wanna smoke, go to the bus stop. I think we agreed we’re not gonna bother you.” As for the trend of covering smoke alarms, Campus Safety’s most pressing concern, AVP Verdicchio was firmly no-nonsense: “Everybody in the room will be held responsible, so tell us if one in your apartment is [covered]! If you’re not comfortable, call us, and we’ll get it done! I’d rather have functioning smoke detectors than fines.”