Drew Hall reopened at the beginning of this semester after a year of renovations. Since then, residents have experienced approximately 10 fire alarms, Public Safety Director Illiana Cantu-Delgado said, a number much higher than the one required fire drill that happen officially every year.

“I believe that there was only 10 but still it was a big inconvenience to the residents of Drew Hall,” Cantu-Delgado said.

On Sept. 21, Drew Hall Area Coordinator Stasia Higgins informed the hall’s residents that they would no longer be experiencing frequent fire alarms.

“This was a top priority for us all as we understood the great stress it was causing students,” Higgins said.

She said that she has been working with the Hamline Public Safety and Facilities departments to resolve the issue. 

“I had been in constant communication with HPS, who did a wonderful job examining the possible causes of the issue and ultimately identifying the problem and fixing it,” Higgins said.

The recurring fire alarms have been attributed to condensation triggering smoke detectors in the shower rooms, Interim Director of Facilities Operations and Project Manager Johnston said.

Hamline staff will continue to monitor this.

“The design team and fire alarm contractor analyzed the situation and were able to correct the issue. We have had no further issues since that time,” Johnston said.