In the case of a fire, dorm residents will be better protected by automatic alarms that have been and will be installed, University Housing officials say.

Glenn Stine, assistant director of Housing for Facilities who is responsible for the construction and renovation of all housing facilities, said SIUC is upgrading the fire alarm systems for the safety of the students.

This new system is automatic, Stine said. So if a fire does start the alarm will go off by itself.

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Stine said SIUC started the upgrading process with the older alarm systems that have been in place since the buildings were constructed. He said some of the alarm systems were installed 30 to 40 years ago.

We’ve got our money’s worth out of them, he said.

Stine said another reason SIUC decided to upgrade the alarm system is to comply with building codes.

Stine said it is no longer necessary to physically pull the alarms with the new system as it was with the old one. He said with the old system, someone had to see and smell the fire and then go down the hallway to pull the alarm.

Steve Kirk, assistant director of University Housing and Programming, said all the triads in University Park and Neely Hall have been upgraded. Kirk said installation in Mae Smith Hall is scheduled to begin this summer and installation will take place at Schnieder Hall the year after that. Then the installation process will move over to Thompson Point, Kirk said.

Stine said SIUC has budgeted $430,000 to replace the fire alarm system in Mae Smith.