SUB evacuation
Firefighters and emergency personnel responded to a call at the Student Union Building Wednesday morning after what appeared to be fire alarms going off when an elevator hydraulics pump overheated, said Moscow Police Department Lieutenant Dave Lehmitz.
All students and staff were evacuated from building for more than 30 minutes while crews investigated the scene.
Joe Williams, Moscow Volunteer Fire Department assistant fire chief, said there were no initial signs of a fire so he carefully looked around the building for an indication of why the alarms went off. Williams said his team found an elevator that was inoperable.
After 15 minutes the alarms fell silent — except for alarms on the on the 3rd floor of the building. Williams said he told his crew and UI emergency staff the alarms weren’t fire alarms but another device.
The crew investigated near the elevators and on the roof to look for the source of the problem. Williams and Lehmitz later found the hydraulics pump — which is responsible for lifting and lowering the elevator — had overheated.
There were no passengers in the elevator at the time of the incident and the SUB reopened its doors within the hour.
News Engagement day
The University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media has teamed up with regional media organizations to observe National News Engagement Day with UI students from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Tuesday, Oct. 7, on the Idaho Commons plaza.
“We want to demonstrate to UI students that the news matters to them — and to show them how easy it is to connect with the media organizations that report and deliver the news,” said Kenton Bird, JAMM director, in a statement.
Colleagues from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the Lewiston Tribune and Spokane’s KREM-TV will assist JAMM faculty and students to promote news literacy and engagement to the UI community.
On the plaza, volunteers will pass out news materials, and give a news quiz to passersby who will then be entered into a drawing to win a Samsung tablet pre-loaded with a number of news applications.