Julia Levy, Contributing Photographer

Fire alarms in Pauli Murray College have become so common that students no longer evacuate the building when they sound. 

Since the start of the 2022-23 academic year, there has been a noticeable increase in the frequency of fire alarm evacuation messages broadcasted through the Pauli Murray dorm halls. Instead of evacuating, however, some students ignore the warnings and stay inside. Such an alarm went off Tuesday morning at around 11 a.m. and the New Haven Fire Department arrived a few minutes after the incident. 

Alec Aceves-Acosta ’25 was present at the scene. He did not follow the blaring announcement of “there is a fire emergency in the building, please evacuate the building. Do not use the elevators,” rather he stayed in his room for the approximate 15-minute duration. 

Aceves-Acosta expressed that he has become accustomed to the alarms, which he estimates occur on a twice-a-month basis. He had only evacuated the building once when he was a first year, and now he routinely ignores the alarms. 

Mario Garcia ’25 also remains indoors during alarms. 

“The alarms are pretty disruptive,” Garcia said. “But fire alarms going off in Murray aren’t a new occurrence so people have gotten used to them.” 

When asked how many times alarms are blasted through Pauli Murray, Emilie Ma ’25 responded “too often.” Ma said she always goes outside when an alarm is sounded, and she uses the opportunity to connect with her fellow LeMurs in the Pauli Murray Courtyards. 

Tuesday morning’s fire alarm was caused by an “equipment failure” in Room 85 near entryway B, according to the New Haven fire department. This did not result in a fire. 

When the New Haven Fire Marshals receive a call for a fire alarm, they proceed through entryway F, the first entryway near Prospect Street. They assess the cause of the alarm with an electronic fire alarm panel that receives signals for any device registered with Pauli Murray’s fire system. The firefighters then investigate the source’s location. The alarm is only silenced when the issue is cleared. 

While Tuesday’s alarm was shut off almost immediately, other instances have taken the New Haven Fire Department over an hour to identify the source. 

Last February, Pauli Murray Head of College Tina Lu addressed the issue to the Pauli Murray Community via email: “If you’ve been wondering why we’ve had so many fire alarms recently, the fire department says it is–wait for this–steam from someone’s probably too long, too steamy shower. That’s all I know, but if you are someone who has been taking a 40-minute shower? Maybe save a little water.” 

Other causes for fire alarms include cooking in the dormitories. Microwaves, in particular pose hazards, and there was once an alarm set off when a student was making microwave popcorn. Increased humidity has also been attributed to false alarms.

As of September 2024, there has never been a large fire reported in Pauli Murray since its opening in 2017. 

Aceves-Acosta suggested a reevaluation of Murray’s fire system.

“It’s problematic because if there was a real fire, people would perish,” he said. 

Pauli Murray College is located at 130 Prospect St.