Crews renovating residence halls on campus will be installing functional sprinkler systems to increase student safety.

Currently, the dorms in the six-pack do not have sprinkler systems.

According to Executive Director of Residence Life Frank Bartlett, the university is not required to install sprinkler systems by law, however, it is in the best interest of the students.

“They are not required by code, we are just installing them for safety at this point in time as we continue to renovate the buildings,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett said in the event of a fire emergency, sprinklers are an important asset in immediately controlling a fire.

“Sprinklers have a value in case of a fire,” Bartlett said. “A localized sprinkler head would activate and help put out the fire as quickly as possible,” Bartlett said.

He said residence halls already provide fire safety due to cinder block walls and concrete decks but sprinklers would increase safety.

Karen Thomas, an RA at Cambridge apartments, said fires can start for many reasons in the dorms and because of this, sprinklers are vital.

“There are a lot of ways fires can be started in the dorms so having sprinklers could help if a fire were to occur,” Thomas said.

Junior Kortney Blevins said she feels sprinklers are important to have in campus residence halls for student safety.

“Sprinklers are important because they can help save peoples’ lives because they can potentially stop or limit the fire,” Blevins said.

Bartlett said though sprinkler systems are not required by law, the university is opting to install them not only because legislation might change in the future but also because it’s the right thing to do.

“We are going the extra mile to install them because it seems like the right thing to do and also at some point if legislature requires them to be installed we’ll already be prepared,” said Bartlett.

However, Bartlett said sprinkler systems are not flawless.

“Clearly there is a downside though to sprinklers because they pump out a lot of water and there’s always risks of accidental discharges too,” Bartlett said.

He also said sprinklers can be an expensive investment for the university.

“The Wells sprinkler systems costed roughly around $1 million,” Bartlett said.

According to Bartlett, the installation process of a sprinkler system also tends to be elaborate and time consuming.

“It is a lot of work and time but the big picture of things is if a fire happens and a life is saved then you figure it is all worth it,” Bartlett said.

Bartlett said despite the downsides to sprinklers, the Office of Residence Life’s main goal is to improve safety of residents living in campus buildings.

“We want to have facilities that are safe as humanly possible and having sprinkler systems installed will help in that,” Bartlett said.