BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE INSTALLING SPRINKLERS IN ALL RESIDENCE FACILITIES
July 3, 2001, Bloomfield, NJ -- Bloomfield College recently finished installing a sprinkler system in its freshman dormitory, Clee Hall, as part of a comprehensive fire safety plan for the campus. As part of the plan, the College will install sprinkler systems in every student residence facility by 2002, two years before the deadline set by the state in the Dormitory Safety Trust Fund Act.
“The safety of our students is paramount; that’s why we’re pushing ahead so quickly,” said Arthur Pierfy, Superintendent of Buildings & Grounds at Bloomfield College. “Sprinklers are one of the most important safety features that a housing unit can have. They saves lives and they save buildings.”
To meet compliance, the College has been working closely with fire officials from the Township of Bloomfield, including Chief Joseph Intile and Fire Official Thomas Pelaia.
“I’m pleased that Bloomfield College has been so proactive in its fire safety plan,” said Thomas Pelaia, Chief Inspector for the Township of Bloomfield. “We were very happy when the College decided to install sprinklers prior to the state law being passed.”
Governor Christie Whitman signed the Dormitory Safety Trust Fund Act, mandating sprinklers in all college dormitories, after the January 2000 fire at Seton Hall University killed three students and injured 58 others.
“Sprinklers make a big safety difference,” said Pelaia. “In all probability, the students at Seton Hall would not have perished and the fire would not have reached the magnitude it did if sprinklers had been installed.”
Following the Seton Hall incident, Pelaia helped Bloomfield College conduct fire prevention and protection classes with RA’s (resident assistants) and students. Bloomfield College President John F. Noonan and Vice President for Finance and Administration Robert Estler also met with Pelaia and Bloomfield fire officials to strengthen the College’s fire safety plan, which includes drills and education as well as the sprinkler system.
“The Bloomfield Fire Department has gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping us oversee the installation of the sprinklers and ensure the safety of our students,” said Pierfy. “The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has also been extremely helpful in outlining an action plan and helping us meet our safety needs.”
Following the work in Clee Hall, the College’s next move will be to install sprinklers in student houses located at 19, 21 and 25 Austin Place and 61 Fremont Street. Schweitzer Hall and the remaining “theme houses” will be the next buildings on the list. “The houses that haven’t had sprinklers installed yet will be closely monitored. The plan calls for the sprinkler systems to be installed as quickly and efficiently as possible,” said Pierfy.
Bloomfield College’s sprinkler system in Clee Hall was designed by Roxbury Engineering of Succasunna, and installed by Wonder Fire Protection of Bogota. “The key to a good sprinkler system is the availability of highly skilled professionals. By using qualified union installers, we ensure that this sprinkler system is first-rate,” said Gary Wunderlich of Wonder Fire Protection, Inc.
Last year, Bloomfield College became one of the first colleges in the state to have carbon monoxide detectors installed in all dormitories and houses.
