The Shorthorn - Reported gas leak in Life Science Building turns to be false alarm

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Reported gas leak in Life Science Building turns to be false alarm

Written by Chase Webster, The Shorthorn staff

Monday, 15 February 2010 10:12 PM

A natural gas leak reported at 6 p.m Monday in the Life Science Building proved to be a false alarm.

The building was evacuated last night when students in room 122 said they could smell natural gas.

The Arlington Fire Department arrived and searched the building but were unable to detect gas upon their arrival, said Robert Smith, UTA Fire and Life Safety assistant director.

“There was a detection of natural gas smell on the first floor,” he said. “Our protocol is if someone smells gas, we call the Arlington Fire Department.”

UTA spokewoman Kristin Sullivan said campus staff worked to contain the situation. By 6:40 p.m. UTA Police announced it was safe for students to reenter the building.

The university is well equipped to handle situations like this, Smith said. They use a Dräger gas detection system to measure the oxygen levels and hazardous substances in the environment, he said.

“We went into the area where the natural gas was first detected and we didn’t find anything,” he said. “We went into the basement and other areas with natural gas and we didn’t detect anything there. There were no readings of natural gas.”

Though, it is procedure for the AFD to be notified in the event a hazardous substance is detected on campus, students have no reason to be concerned, he said.

“We take precautions and it’s important to make sure we get it right,” he said. “Everything is good to go, and we’re going to stay and monitor the situation.”
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