By Jeremy Slayton
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND, Va. — Fire alarms blared throughout The Renaissance yesterday morning, alerting residents to evacuate the independent-living facility in South Richmond.
The alarm was part of a mock fire drill in conjunction with the Richmond Fire Department, but the threat of a fire breaking out is a real one for the
home’s residents.
“It’s something serious, it’s something that can happen. We just want to make sure they’re safe,” said Richmond Fire Lt. Michael Oprandy, citing a May 2006 fire starting in a fifth-floor apartment at the Imperial Plaza retirement community in North Richmond that claimed the lives of two residents.
Oprandy said it’s not uncommon for the fire department to receive false alarms at retirement facilities, whether they’re caused by false activation or burning food. Because of the frequency of alarms, he said officials worry that residents may ignore a real fire alarm and stay in their rooms.
“We want to break that complacency and make sure that all residents are aware” and take every fire alarm seriously, Oprandy said.
The Renaissance, an eight-story independent-living facility on German School Road with 240 apartments and close to 290 residents, was notified about the drill in advance. When the alarms sounded about 10:05 a.m., residents walked down the stairs to evacuate the building.
Resident Dorathy Rhem and her daughter, Marilyn, who was visiting, followed the evacuation procedure in place. Dorathy Rhem, who uses a wheelchair, headed for the second-floor stairwell to wait during the drill. In the event of a real fire, Oprandy said residents who are unable to use the steps would be carried from the building, a standard procedure at all high-rise senior facilities.
The city fire department is looking into a universal system for all senior facilities in the city that would guide firefighters to those who are unable to evacuate themselves using stairs, including residents who are bed-ridden, wheelchair-bound or ill.
“We’re looking into some different ideas of a way to mark the door, a way that there will be a low area on the bottom portion of the door, so [when] firefighters are crawling in the hallway and there are smoke conditions, we can see a reflective light, sign or something that indicates this room needs attention,” Oprandy said.
Richmond fire officials are also seeking state-wide legislation in the General Assembly to retrofit all high-rise residential facilities with sprinklers, said Richmond Fire Capt. Al Holmes. The Renaissance is equipped with sprinklers, but there are 11 residential facilities in Richmond and 127 statewide that need sprinkler systems, Oprandy said.
Carl Wilkins, who has lived at The Renaissance for seven years, said yesterday’s drill was beneficial.
“I think anything that keeps people safe will help,” he said.
Copyright 2008 Richmond Times-Dispatch