Firefighters responded to two addresses multiple times this week for smoke detector activations. A Mecklenburg County Fire Marshal ordered a fire watch in the pool area of Homewood Suites after a smoke detector sounded three times Saturday. Meanwhile, an unattended hot griddle set off a smoke detector twice in recent days at the Kappa Sigma fraternity at Davidson College. Firefighters also were called to the college’s Watson Life Science Building when a big release of steam in a malfunctioning heating/air conditioning unit activated a fire alarm. Details on these stories, along with a tally of the week’s medical calls, may be found below.
FIRE REPORTS
FRIDAY, MAR. 4, 7:14 p.m., 11324 Lauren Lane, Huntersville (off Mayes Road) – Engine 1 and Ladder 1 provided a mutual aid response to a fire alarm activation for the Cornelius Fire Department. Davidson firefighters stood by a hydrant until the Cornelius incident commander determined that the call was a false alarm.
SATURDAY, MAR. 5, 3:25 a.m., 118 Patterson Court Circle, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Davidson College – Davidson and Cornelius firefighters responded to a fire alarm activation to a fraternity house. Davidson Engine 1 noted no smoke or flames visible from outside, but upon investigation it was noted that the middle burner on the kitchen stove had been left on. Smoke from burning grease had activated a smoke detector, but the area was quickly ventilated and the fire alarm was successfully reset. Davidson College Campus Police arrived on the scene, and all firefighters returned to routine service.
SATURDAY, MAR. 5, 8:34 a.m., 114 Patterson Court Circle, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, Davidson College – Engine 2 and Ladder 1 responded to a fire alarm activation caused by a blower in an HVAC unit that had overheated. The unit was turned off and physical plant was notified, after which the building was turned over to Davidson College Campus Police. All firefighters cleared the scene without incident.
SATURDAY, MAR. 5, 12:19 p.m., 125 Harbour Place Drive, Homewood Suites – Engine 2 and Ladder 1 responded to a smoke detector activation caused by water splashing from a pool striking the detector.
SATURDAY, MAR. 5, 12:38 p.m., 125 Harbour Place, Homewood Suites – Firefighters responded to the hotel’s pool area for a second time, at which point a hotel representative asked all guests to leave the pool area.
SATURDAY, MAR. 5, 3:40 p.m., 125 Harbour Place, Homewood Suites – Engine 2 responded to the hotel for a third time, where a smoke detector was once again activated by water splashing from the pool. Smoke detectors in the pool area were put on “test” mode and fire watch instructions were given to hotel personnel per the fire marshal’s instructions.
SUNDAY, MAR. 6, 8:58 a.m., I-77 Southbound – Engine 3 investigated a motor vehicle accident at mile marker 29 and found the vehicle owner standing in the median waiting for a wrecker. No action was taken by firefighters.
MONDAY, MAR. 7, 1:16 a.m., 118 Patterson Court Circle, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Davidson College – Engine 3 and Ladder 1 responded to a fire alarm activation and found a light haze of smoke from a griddle left on and unattended for the second time in a forty-eight hour period. No fire was found, but the smoke detector was activated by burnt food on the griddle. The building was unoccupied upon firefighters’ arrival, but Davidson College Campus Police had already begun to open windows and doors in order to ventilate the structure. The alarm was successfully reset and all firefighters returned to routine service.
TUESDAY, MAR. 8, 7:21 p.m., 225 Concord Road, Watson Life Science Building, Davidson College – Engine 3 and Ladder 1 responded to a report of smoke showing from a science building. Upon investigation, firefighters found a malfunctioning high pressure steam line from an HVAC unit that had activated a fire alarm. Firefighters conducted a thorough investigation of the area surrounding the unit and found no hazards. Maintenance personnel deactivated the smoke detectors and the alarm system was reset to normal. All emergency personnel cleared the scene without incident.
MEDICAL CALLS, MAR. 3-9
Following are the medical calls Davidson Fire Department responded to last week. The department says patient privacy laws prohibit public release of addresses or other details.
- Breathing problem, 1
- Diabetic problem, 1
- Hemorrhage/Laceration, 1
- Psychiatric problem, 1
- Traffic accident, 1
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