The Fire Next Time

WHEN THE University's fire alarm bell system breaks down twice in a year, it's reasonable to feel generally alarmed. Stephen S.J. Hall, vice president for administration, explained that no alarm went off during last week's fire in Lowell House because the wires in the House's system had melted in the heat. This is not an especially reassuring explanation, since it would seem as though the heat ought to be precisely what sets offthe alarm. It's even less reassuring because the last time the system had a real-life test, in Moors Hall last February, the smoke detectors failed to detect the smoke.

The University should install a fire system that works, before things get out of hand. We share the feelings of Kenneth H. Levison, senior tutor in Lowell. "I would think that the administration would come up with a system that would function when there's a fire," he said. "We're very lucky that nobody was killed."