campus security: [may 2008]
Published: 04/14/08
- No Sprinkler System at University of Illinois College Damaged by Fire
From 'We Lost It All'" by: Dave Newbart, Chicago Sun-Times - A January fire caused an estimated $10 million in damage at the University of Illinois' Chicago (UIC) College of Pharmacy. Among the items destroyed by the blaze were 39 plant extracts from remote areas in Laos, which were being studied for their medicinal values in treating a range of diseases. Faculty members indicated the fire disrupted or halted ongoing research. The building, which is over five decades old, did not have a sprinkler system. Fire extinguishers were in the hall and not inside the areas where research was conducted, and the chemical fume hoods prevalent in most labs as well as proper venting in cabinets that store noxious chemicals were not used. Faculty members are concerned that National Institutes of Health and other grant funding could be in jeopardy in the future due to the disruption in research caused by the fire. Insurance will pay for all of the damages except for $500,000 of the repair and clean-up costs, but the university still lacks the $4 million to $5 million needed to install sprinklers at the UIC College of Pharmacy, says spokesperson Mark Rosati, though the school has invested $18 million since 2003 to install sprinklers in residence halls and high-rise buildings. In addition to installing sprinklers, experts recommend UIC have its lab staff trained in fire safety to prevent such accidents.
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