Fires.

RREEAANNGH...RREEAANNGH...RREEAANNGH....

Through my somewhat sound proof dorm doors and walls, I hear the fire alarm and sigh. The fire alarm goes off when there's a fire, or when someone burns something pretty badly, or when someone just pulls it for no reason. One of these happens once a month or so. When it does, we all have to exit the dorm and stand across the street, staring at the dorm until we can re-enter. Or we can walk away and do something else and come back later when we're allowed in again.

I find some shoes and my purse, exit the door, cringe as I stand next to the alarm to lock my door (they are very loud. Probably so they can wake up people in their beds and be heard by people in showers) and walk to the nearest staircase. I don't use the elevator. (I never would, cause I'm only on the third floor, but even if I did, I wouldn't in the event of this supposed fire.)

I, along with many other students, cross the street to stare at the dorm as the campus police pull up. Most people look kind of ticked. One person is dripping wet, she probably got caught in the shower. Someone else is holding a basket full of laundry. Apparently in dorms people steal clothes. I spent two years faithfully guarding my clothes every time I went to do laundry. Then, once I accidentally left a shirt in the washer. Later that evening, while walking by the laundry room, someone had left my shirt on the counter. Either nobody wants my clothes, or people actually have no use for stealing my clothes. Last week I left my clothes in the washer and went back to my room, only returning to move them to the dryer and collect them. Seeing as I did collect them, they weren't stolen. Either way, these people hadn't yet realized that nobody else in the dorm wants their clothes.

After a few minutes, we hear the approaching fire truck siren. The truck pulls up in the road we crossed, partially obstructing our view of the dorm. Two firemen, in gear, enter the building, looking less than worried at the smoke free dormitory. I sit on the curb and wonder how long it will take them. In theory, they check dorms for students. I've always considered just staying in my dorm. However, I'm afraid of breaking rules, so then I consider hiding in my closet. Then I remember the alarm also goes off if there actually is a fire, so I decide to exit the building.

A student exits the dorm. A little late, eh? A few minutes later, the firemen exit with two RAs that accompanied them on their sweep of the dorm. The firemen return to the truck. Instead of getting in, he waves us closer. We gather around. Over the quite loud sound of the fire truck engine, he begins to lecture us. He shows us the ID he confiscated from a student that didnt' exit the dorm. "When the alarm goes off, you'd better leave. I know some of you want to stay in your bed or..." He turns to the crowd opposite of me, and his voice is lost in that stupid engine. "Next time, for every ID I confiscate, you guys will wait here an hour. Is that clear?" I scowl at him in return, though the crowd sort of nods and murmurs in approval. He gives us the clear, and we walk back into the dorm. I think about what he said, while I reopen the doors in the building. Certain doors, like those leading to stairwells, are always propped open, held back by a magnet that releases when the alarms go off. When we re-enter, I try to reprop some of the doors, though eventually they all are back to being opened as usual.

I think his claim was unfair. I paid my dorm fees, and this is my one home within four hours, in which I keep most of my belongings. The majority of students don't take anything that could help during a four hour lockout from the dorm. I figure we spend the minutes waiting for the all clear contemplating what it would be like to actually lose everything in that dorm room to a fire. Some people are dripping wet, others carrying baskets of clothes. And he's threatening us, the ones that followed the rules and evacuated as quickly as possible, to have to stay outside longer just because someone else didn't feel like leaving in time?

Seems unfair to me.