By Ken Thurman
The Times-Union
TROY, N.Y. — Fifteen firefighters were sent to the hospital as a precaution after fire ripped through a chemical lab on the RPI campus Monday evening.
Although no one was seriously injured, fire officials said they will renew their calls today for the engineering school to contribute more to fire coverage costs. They also want school administrators to change public safety procedures so that they are more open and inclusive with the city’s fire department.
The fire broke out about 6:20 p.m. on the third floor of a lab in the science building. A student, working alone, accidentally ignited the fire that soon spread, spewing out thick black smoke, Fire Chief Tom Garrett said.
Two alarms were sounded, and as firefighters quickly responded some were exposed to smoke and chemicals, Garrett said. The student was able to get out unharmed, he said.
“We don’t know what they were exposed to because we don’t know what’s in there,” Garrett said. As a precaution, he said those exposed to the chemicals were taken to a hospital, where bloodwork and other tests were performed.
By early this morning, all had been treated and released, with test results still pending.
Garrett said much of the science building’s third floor sustained heavy smoke and water damage. But things could have been much worse, he said, had firefighters not been stationed nearby. He also said fire officials have voiced concerns in the past about the school’s pull-alarm box, which only rings into the public safety office, which in turn calls the fire department.
Capt. David Paul, president of the Troy Uniformed Firefighters Association, said his organization has called a news conference for 3:30 p.m. today, at which it plans to once again pressure the school to contribute more, monetarily and procedurally, to its fire coverage.
“The size of RPI has grown. They’re bought up property ...” said Paul, noting that providing adequate fire coverage to the campus has placed additional strains on the department — and the city — in terms of staffing and expense.
A call made to RPI officials for comment was not returned.
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