(Beaver Falls, PA) There were a series of power and smoke issues on Geneva’s campus on Tuesday, September 6. To dispel the rumors, at no time was there a fire in Memorial Hall.
According to Vice President of Student Development Brian Jensen, “This was challenging for our students, staff and faculty. A number of campus personnel worked diligently for many hours to care for our students and to restore power as soon as possible. They provided a light that we all needed, literally and figuratively, during a difficult time.”
At approximately 11 a.m. yesterday, the campus lost two of its three main phases of power. At that time, backup generators across campus provided some supplemental power to necessary parts of each building. Simultaneously, an exhaust fan in Memorial Hall malfunctioned, causing smoke to back up in the attic and certain parts of the building. Memorial residents evacuated immediately and the Beaver Falls Fire Department (BFPD) came on site within minutes.
After the smoke cleared, the BFPD checked the building thoroughly, and students were allowed to reenter. As a precaution, the fire department performed safety checks in each building to ensure that the campus was not experiencing other problems due to the power outage.
Maintenance staff who were working on the issue restored full power to all of campus at approximately 1:15 p.m.
At about 3 p.m., campus lost power again, due to a faulty switch on the main electrical service in an underground electrical vault near the main entrance of campus. The Beaver Falls Fire Department returned to campus to ensure safety near the main entrance and Duquesne Light Company was called.
The campus Emergency Response Team met and communicated regularly throughout the evening to address immediate concerns. With backup generator capability, Pioneer College Caterers was able to provide dinner in the main dining hall. Evening classes were cancelled.
Maintenance staff members, in consultation with electrical contractors, were able to identify problems with the blown transformers and restore power to the east side of campus by 8:15 p.m. They also determined that the more extensive repairs necessary to restore power to the college apartments would take longer. While the apartments did not have power, they had emergency power for life safety, such as lighting in the hallways and stairs as well as door access security and fire protection. Additionally, there was temporary exterior parking lot light for safety.
At 7:30 p.m., college personnel held a meeting in the dining hall for apartment residents to provide an explanation of the day’s events. They also provided flashlights for each apartment. The dining hall stayed open until midnight for students to study, charge electronic devices, and hangout.
The primary reason for the delay in restoring power to the apartments is the availability of high voltage electrical parts and the necessary time to properly install the parts. If the work goes as scheduled, the college anticipates power to be restored this evening.
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