Fire Alarm Control Center Sees Updating

In the basement of the Science Center, in a narrow room that looks like a set from the movie "War Games," operators are standing by.

Amidst the blinking lights, the computers and the shielded toggle switches, dispatchers wait by the phones, ready to respond to anything from a clogged dormitory toilet to a fire in a Harvard museum that houses priceless treasures.

"You're monitoring the whole University, basically through this room," said George M. Carbone, fire and safety supervisor in Harvard's Facilities Maintenance Department.

The fire alarm panels on the back wall of the "University central control" are linked to more than 300 buildings, from the Divinity School in Cambridge to the Business School and the Medical School in Boston.

When a fire alarm goes off somewhere in the University--as one usually does at least once a day--the panel in the control center displays where the problem is. The person on duty in the control center then calls the appropriate fire department, notifies the Harvard University Police Department and dispatches a Facilities Maintenance Department fire mechanic to the scene, all in a matter of 30 to 45 seconds.

Harvard and Cambridge officials say this ensures a quicker response than simply waiting for someone near the fire to hear an alarm and call the fire department.

"It's extremely quick response," said Harold A. Hawkes, associate director of facilities maintenance for plant and engineering.

The central fire control panel now in the Science Center is about 20 years old. The machine still works well, but it's become difficult to get replacement parts, and it's also hard to add new buildings to the system, which is at its capacity, Hawkes said.

Plans are underway to upgrade the central fire monitoring system, at a cost of about $1 million over the next 2 years.

Hawkes and Carbone said the new system, based on the University's fiber optic network, will have more readily available information about disabled students who live in a building where there is a fire. A new system would also be capable of "automatic retransmission," sending the alarm through the control center straight to a fire department.

Every alarm received at the control center is treated as a real fire, Carbone said. He acknowledged, though, that "real, working, damaging fires" are rare.

A fire alarm at the control center can mean burning toast, an overheated washer or dryer or a closed flue in a student fireplace.

Fire alarms are just one of the hot topics with which the control center is involved. Workers there also control heat for the University's buildings and dispatch staff members for emergency building repairs.

Hawkes said the busiest times of year are September, when new students arrive; the fall, when the heat comes on; and Commencement and reunions, when alumni return to live in housing meant for students.

As for the select few who monitor the University from the control center, Hawkes said "it takes a lot of patience." Many callers are calling because they have a problem they want fixed, and sometimes things get busy.

"You want someone who can take stress," Hawkes said. Someone, no doubt, who can keep everything under control

Harvard and Cambridge officials say this ensures a quicker response than simply waiting for someone near the fire to hear an alarm and call the fire department.

"It's extremely quick response," said Harold A. Hawkes, associate director of facilities maintenance for plant and engineering.

The central fire control panel now in the Science Center is about 20 years old. The machine still works well, but it's become difficult to get replacement parts, and it's also hard to add new buildings to the system, which is at its capacity, Hawkes said.

Plans are underway to upgrade the central fire monitoring system, at a cost of about $1 million over the next 2 years.

Hawkes and Carbone said the new system, based on the University's fiber optic network, will have more readily available information about disabled students who live in a building where there is a fire. A new system would also be capable of "automatic retransmission," sending the alarm through the control center straight to a fire department.

Every alarm received at the control center is treated as a real fire, Carbone said. He acknowledged, though, that "real, working, damaging fires" are rare.

A fire alarm at the control center can mean burning toast, an overheated washer or dryer or a closed flue in a student fireplace.

Fire alarms are just one of the hot topics with which the control center is involved. Workers there also control heat for the University's buildings and dispatch staff members for emergency building repairs.

Hawkes said the busiest times of year are September, when new students arrive; the fall, when the heat comes on; and Commencement and reunions, when alumni return to live in housing meant for students.

As for the select few who monitor the University from the control center, Hawkes said "it takes a lot of patience." Many callers are calling because they have a problem they want fixed, and sometimes things get busy.

"You want someone who can take stress," Hawkes said. Someone, no doubt, who can keep everything under control