Has Sparky Taught Us Nothing?
An eagle-eyed member of Columbia’s secret safety patrol has spotted what appears to be a violation of OSHA regulations and New York fire codes in the Butler 213 computer lab.
Labels on a fire extinguisher in the lab indicate the fire-fighting device is 10 years overdue for its routine servicing—the series of tests that ensure the extinguisher will work when you pull the handle.
Seeking to draw attention to the problem, the safety-minded do-gooder left behind an indignant sign splashed with various font weights and sizes, which is shown at right.
After the jump is a close-up of the extinguisher’s service tag, but before you look, just think: the last time someone checked on this extinguisher, PrezBo lived in Michigan. Cargo pants were still popular, and this thing called an “MP3 player” had just hit the market.
But seriously, folks, if your fire extinguisher has outlived ‘N Sync, it’s time to change it.
—JYH
Tags: fire, fire codes, fire extinguishers, hazards, safety patrol
5 July 2009 @ 9:48 PM · 22 comments
on 
there’s a giant dusty cast-iron fire extinguisher in one of the civil engineering classrooms in mudd that hasn’t been serviced since the 70s. Still has the tag.
let’s consider this. would anyone REALLY be that sad to see Butler burn to the ground? I think not. Evil, evil building of pain and torture.
lots o’ cool books in that ‘ol leeebrary.
Whether you like the building or not, Butler is a cultural treasure trove. Losing the contents of the rare book library would be a disaster, even if no one is injured and the building escapes serious damage.
considering the number of people who try to hide in butler and refuse to leave when there’s a fire alarm (once, the guards went on a “pretty please with a cherry on top” rant to get people out), there would be a lot of casualties…
Well, doesn’t Darwinian evolution just say that those people should burn in the fire, anyways?
i don’t think a fire extinguisher would help by that point anyway. unless i’m grossly underestimating the power of said device, aren’t they more of a “oh crap the printer is on fire” type of tool?
“i put my gpa before my personal safety and now i’m stuck in this flaming room of doom, perhaps this will save me” seems a bit beyond a fire extinguishers skill set to me.
You use a fire extinguisher to prevent a small fire from turning into a disaster.
it’s a seriously important safety tool that you should know how and when to use. it might save your life one day (no sarcasm).
(that was in response to 4 but clearly i sucked at clicking that ole reply button)
please keep us updated on the status of this very pressing issue. thank you.
a concerned student
hahahaha, this was hilarious, i would totally do something like that.
thanks bwog.
It’s possible (though not likely) that there is another, up-to-date extinguisher nearby. If so, an extra, outdated extinguisher probably doesn’t violate the rules.
Assuming that this extinguisher does need annual inspections, the recent renovations in Butler make the delays all the more startling. Construction work in creases fire hazards; someone should have been especially vigilant about the readiness of fire extinguishers while this work was going on. The project took many years, so this extinguisher should have been examined repeatedly during that time.
construction work in creases is hazardous enough (suffocation, for one, is a big concern) without the added danger of fire.
Love this.
used to internet sarcasm. Are you really not being sarcastic or is the (no sarcasm) label just enhancing the sarcasm???? (no sarcasm)
ohhhh columbia my safety is at risk. you owe me 5 million dollars
what you don’t know is that a high GPA can make you flame resistant.
oh and martin get off bwog.
you mean flame retardant?
I wrote a book about my Great Aunt Sharon Dämmerung. She was a not-so-famous bankrobber in Brooklyn. Butler Library was the only library that took my book. Now it has burned to the ground, with all the maps of the banks she made. I visited the book, to see the names of the students who took it out. Apparently they stopped doing that years ago, but some were still there. Burt Lee – thanks for reading!
has always struck me as a bit of a death trap, what with only one functioning exit (are the east and west doors even unlocked?). So it would be nice to have working fire extinguishers.
Besides, Butler isn’t really a death-trap once you think about it. Big giant staircase leading to main exit. The sets of fire-stairs on the west and east side of the building, with egress to the 2nd floor corridors and the east/west doors. First floor people go directly out to 114th.
The stacks… well that’s a little death-trappy. I think they use sprinklers, so suffocation from halon, nah. Smoke, yep.
Oh stephan vincenzo…why are you commenting on bwog? Shouldn’t you be at some promoter partay?