In addition to upgrading the systems, preventative maintenance continues on all previously installed systems, Murray said. They create a dangerous situation for the emergency personnel that have to respond and may divert them from a situation where there is a real emergency. Although the fire alarm upgrade program has demonstrated success, new construction on campus has doubled the number of smoke detectors in campus facilities since the program began and, as a result, there has been no dramatic decrease in the total number of false alarms on campus, Murray said. But that, too, indicates progress. The false fire alarm reduction program is ongoing, Murray said.
Academic buildings are the program's next targets.
A set of criteria is being created to determine which buildings are the highest priority, he said. And the program already has been applauded by city fire officials. The Ithaca Fire Department has been suffering the effects of declining resources for many years, and it appears the community will not be able to reverse this trend in the near future. As a result, efforts such as those being taken by Cornell are extremely important to our ability to respond to true emergencies.