The University of Rhode Island Fire and Burglar Alarm Systems are under the management of the Alarms coordinator. The staff consists of four licensed technicians that respond to alarms and mechanical troubles on fire and burglar systems. There is also a technician on call at all times that is dispatched by the URI Police Department when a problem arises with the alarm systems.
The buildings at URI have a fire alarm system that is tied directly to the Local Fire Department.
- Kingston Campus – Tied into Kingston Fire Department, South Kingstown Police Station and the Campus Police Station through the municipal circuit.
- Narragansett Bay Campus – Tied into the Narragansett Fire Department.
- W. Alton Jones Campus – Tied into the West Greenwich Police/Fire Department.
- Providence Campus – Tied into the Providence Fire Department.
The alarm staff maintains all fire and burglar systems and keep them in operating condition twenty four hours a day. If a problem occurs with your fire or burglar alarm system you need to call the University Police at 874-4910 to have a technician dispatched to take care of the problem as soon as possible. We work very hard at keeping the alarms operating properly and you can help us by keeping false alarms at a minimum.
Fire Alarms
Each time a fire alarm sounds, the fire department, a police officer, and an alarm technician are all dispatched to respond to the scene. However, fire alarms are all-too-often going off for non-serious reasons; 75% of our fire alarms on campus are false…
The following table shows ways false alarms are triggered and ways we can avoid them in the future.
| Causes | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Burnt food | If you are cooking in the dorms, stay and watch the food cook. |
| Aerosol Cans | Do not spray aerosol in your rooms because your smoke detectors think it is smoke. Use pump spray or solids and never spray near a smoke detector. |
| Shower Steam | If exhaust fans are not working, keep steam in the bathroom and tell someone who can fix it. |
For Your Safety: Keep Fire Lanes Free So Our Fire Department Can Get To You Faster!
Burglar Alarms
We maintain over one hundred security systems on the main campus. A number of buildings and specific departments within buildings on the main campus have burglar alarm systems. The alarm systems that we install are state of the art, versatile, and monitored by the URI Public Safety Dispatch 24 hours a day.
Alarms and mechanical troubles are received by the URI Police as soon as they occur. When a mechanical failure is received, a technician is dispatched to fix the problem. When an alarm signal is received, the police dispatch an officer to investigate the alarm. It is important to notify the police immediately if an alarm is set off accidentally to keep false alarm responses to a minimum.
Alarm systems are installed on a request basis and are paid out of the requesting department funds. The systems are designed, construction managed and materials lists are prepared within the Department of Public Safety. The individual departments prepare the requisition to purchase the parts and materials which are then shipped directly to the Department of Public Safety Fire Alarm Division. All labor of installation shall be provided by a vendor and paid out of department funds. Labor for routine maintenance of the system is supplied by alarm technicians of the Department of Public Safety Fire Alarm Division at no cost to the department. However, all materials will be charged to the requesting department.
After installation we personalize your own security codes for your department and explain how to use it properly.
If your department is interested in having a security system installed you can call the Coordinator of Alarms at 874-2010 and we will put you in touch with someone to help you.