Building Safety Features

Each Wayne State University Library Building is equipped with safety features such as fire exits, extinguishers and alarm pulls. Additionally, other equipment, such as campus phones may be available in case of emergency.

Each library is unique, so it is good to familiarize yourself with the locations of these devices.

Safety Features - Building Specific

David Adamany Undergraduate Library

Emergency Control Center
The Emergency Control Center for the Library is the Access Desk (7-8854), since this desk is more heavily staffed than others. Staff at this desk are familiar with features of the library PA system and can use the PA to make announcements and give directions.

The Emergency Control Center for the SASS is the Front Desk (7-3165).

Elevators
There are two sets of elevators in the UGL Library: a bank of three elevators for patron/staff use near the central stairs, and a freight elevator in the Receiving area. The freight elevator requires a key to operate at all times. All elevators are non-functional at times when the fire alarm is sounding: the elevator cars return to the first floor station and remain there.

Emergency Exits
The UGL has 9 fire exits from the first floor: main doors, Extended Study Area doors, doors near librarians' office, staff entrance, receiving entrance, and doors on the south, west, north and east sides of the floor. The staff door and the doors leading into receiving are normally locked but unlock when the fire alarm sounds.

The UGL 2nd and 3rd floors have 5 exits: 4 enclosed fire stairwells and the central stairs (leading to an exit on the first floor). Doors leading from the second floor into the stairwells are locked on the stairwell side. Exit from the stairwells is to the outside of the building on the first floor, and the exit door is locked from the outside. The UGL basement has 4 exits. Access to the basement is controlled by locked doors, so using the basement as a tornado shelter is not feasible. There are front and rear exits in what used to be the bookstore.

Fire Pulls
There are 11 fire pulls located on the Library 1st floor, 6 each on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 4 in the basement area. Fire pulls are located on the exterior walls near fire exits, or near the central staircase. There are 3 fire pulls located in the SASS, all close to the front exit. There is one fire pull at the back of the SASS.

Triggering a fire pull sounds the fire alarm, triggers the fire alarms strobe lights and automatically notifies Public Safety to dispatch a car(s) to the building.

Fire Extinguishers
There are 6 fire extinguisher boxes regularly spaced, on the Library 1st floor, 9 each on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and 6 in the basement.

Campus Phones
There are 3 campus phones on the Library 1st floor, 4 on the 2nd floor, 1 on the 3rd floor, and none in the basement.

Arthur Neef Law Library

Under development.

Oakland Center Library

Under development.

Purdy/Kresge Library

Emergency Control Center
Emergency Control Center for the Library is the Purdy Services (Circ) Desk (577-4043), since this desk is more heavily staffed than others. Staff at this desk are familiar with features of the library PA system and can use the PA to make announcements and give directions.

Elevators
Purdy Library: There are two sets of elevators in the Purdy Library: a bank of two elevators for patron/staff use near the main stairs on the south side of the building, and a freight elevator across from room 133, (Electronic Reserves.)

Kresge Library: One elevator is located in the Kresge Service Desk.

All elevators are non-functional at times when the fire alarm is sounding; the elevator cars return to the first floor station and remain there.

Emergency Exits
Purdy Library

Kresge Library

Fire Alarm Pull Stations
Purdy Library

Kresge Library Triggering a fire pull sounds the fire alarm and automatically notifies Public Safety to dispatch a car(s) to the building.

Fire Extinguishers
Purdy Library

Kresge Library

Campus Phones
Purdy Library

Kresge Library

Science and Engineering Library

Emergency Control Center
The Emergency Control Center for the Library is the Circulation Desk. It was chosen for this assignment as the Circulation desk is staffed during all hours of operation. In addition, staff at this desk are familiar with features of the library PA system and can use the PA to make announcements and give directions.

Elevators
There are two sets of elevators in the SEL: a bank of two elevators for patron/staff use near the central stairs, and a staff elevator in the lobby area across from the Circulation Desk. All elevators require a key to gain access to the 7th Floor. All elevators are non-functional at times when the fire alarm is sounding: the elevator cars return to the first floor and remain there.

Emergency Exits
The SEL has 5 fire exits from the first floor: main doors, a door located at the far east side of the reference stacks and opening near the south entrance to the Chemistry building, a door on the north side of the building in the open seating area just north of the current periodical stacks, double doors located inside of the main stairwell on the first floor landing, and the west entrance door located in the stairwell on the first floor landing near the Iki (elephant skeleton) display.

The SEL 2nd through 7th floors have 2 exits: 2 enclosed fire stairwells (leading to an exit on the first floor). Doors leading from the 7th floor into the stairwells are locked on the stairwell side. Exit from the stairwells is to the outside of the building on the first floor, and the exit doors are locked from the outside.

The SEL basement level has two primary and two secondary exits. Primary exits include the stairwell opposite the elevators that leads to the landing on the first floor and from there to the exit door at that level. A second stairwell at the west side of the building and adjacent to rooms 15 and 21 leads to the first floor landing and the west emergency door. There are also two emergency exits in the Math Lab. The first of these is located along the wall to one's right upon entry from the library. This leads to a stairwell that empties at the first level and immediately adjacent to the front entrance of the library. There is also an emergency exit door that is located in the far back corner (left as one faces the Math Lab help desk) that opens into the tunnel linking the Chemistry Building with the SEL. One should be prepared to turn left out of the doorway, take the first hallway to the left and then follow the stairwell up to the first level and out of the building.

Fire Pulls
There are nineteen (19) fire pulls in the SEL. They are located outside of the main stairwell and the stairwell on the west side of the building on each floor. In addition, on the first floor there is also a fire pull located next to the emergency exit on the far east side of the building. In the Math Lab there is a fire pull located next to the emergency exit near area 73B where the Unix computers are located. Triggering a fire pull sounds the fire alarm and automatically notifies Public Safety to dispatch a car(s) to the building.

Fire Extinguishers
There are nineteen fire extinguishers in the Science and Engineering Library. They are located outside the main stairwell on each floor (excluding the basement), and just inside the stairwell located on the west side of the building on each floor. In addition, on the first floor there is also a fire extinguisher outside of room 137 across the lobby from the main entrance. On the 4th floor there is an extinguisher outside of room 427. In the basement there are two extinguishers located in the Math Lab, one near the emergency exit by room 73B, and one outside of room 73.

Campus Phones
There are 9 campus phones in the Science and Engineering Library. There is one phone on the first floor attached to the main pillar facing the door on the east side of the main entrance (backed by the divider of brown wood trellis work). There are campus phones near the main stairwell on the second through sixth floors. There is a campus phone near the main stairwell in the basement, and one located in the Advanced Computing Facility across from the information desk. There is also a campus phone located in room 15.

Alarms
Whenever a fire pull is activated in the library, all staff and students will evacuate the library even if it is determined that the activation was in error or with malicious intent. Anytime the alarm sounds, all staff should begin to evacuate without first stopping to ask if it is a drill.

The only exception to the above rule is when the fire pulls are tested monthly in accordance with the Facilities Planning and Management program to test all fire pulls at least once per year. These tests are announced in advance with prominently displayed signs on all library doors. An announcement can be made over the PA just prior to the drill to announce that the testing will begin shortly, but the building will not be evacuated.

Shiffman Medical Library and Pharmacy/Health Sciences LRC

Under development.