On September 9th, 2026, the Summit Apartments held a fire drill that residents were not informed of and many did not hear the alarm to evacuate. Some residents expressed that the alarm was silent or muffled as the flash from the alarms went off.
This led to a lengthy removal process, which caused concern for students. Furthermore, the incident raises major concern for wheelchair users because of the lack of communication. Wheelchair user residents were not notified if the drill was scheduled prior to entering the building, leaving them unable to exit due to the elevators being out of service.
Sophomore Oscar Bazin, a business major and resident at the Summit – one of two people surveyed about the incident that heard the alarms – noted that they were “being louder would be better.” The other six residents that were surveyed reported hearing not hearing anything.
Out of eight students surveyed, six stated that they did not hear the alarms go off as they were supposed to.
The incident lasted approximately 30 minutes with fire fighters and law enforcement arriving. Law enforcement replied to students saying “I don’t know,” when asked about what happened, and why the alarms weren’t working.
Law enforcement knocked on each door of the building to ensure residents evacuated the building. Without explanation, students were allowed to reenter the building under the advice of the Resident Assistants (RA).
Less than 10 minutes later, the alarms – once again – went off. The RA’s knocked on residents doors, and advised people to exit the building. Many residents recalled that there were even fewer students who evacuated after the second alarm went off.
After another procedural check from the fire fighters, residents were informed by officers to not smoke or vape in the building. Although it was not confirmed as the initial cause of the alarms, it sparked discussions among residents.
In a brief interview with The Knight News, Niko Santana – a fourth year animation student and international Summit resident – said “I think it’s very irresponsible that they made us go inside the building and then evacuate us again knowing there might still be a risk there.” Santana added “I just think the way they go on about it is very unnecessary and could be made in a more effective way.”
Since the incident, signs regarding fire safety have been added inside residents’ rooms. On October 1st, another fire drill occurred – this time, however, the alarm was louder, clearly alerting all residents in the building.
Although the cause of the fire alarms were never discovered, there appears to be an effort made in creating more transparency and safety for residents, while highlighting the procedures that need to be followed when an incident happens.
Residents are advised to not remove the emergency signs on their doors, or they may be subject to a fine, as well as a Health and Safety violation.
