Mission College Flooding

* I have several comments about the recent flooding at Mission College’s new library and computer center. The apparent cause was “a ruptured water pipe that feeds the building’s fire sprinkler system.”

I believe “the worst disaster that Mission College has had--except for the earthquake, of course”--could have been prevented had two simple requirements been met.

First, schedule the highly overpaid Mission College police for some simple disaster planning. This reduces the chance of a Keystone Kops situation happening. The training might cause them to wake up to the fact that they need a complete set of keys quickly available for every room in case of some predictable, or unpredictable, event. The second item is not to cut corners at the last minute when building a $12-million edifice.

Let’s protect the building that is going to house the college library and 400 expensive computers. A close look at the NFPA sprinkler codes would reveal that a sprinkler water flow bell or signal is required. If you look around, you will find that just about every building in the Los Angeles metropolitan area that has an approved sprinkler system has some kind of water flow alarm.

If Mission College had installed the required device, it would not have to worry about things happening after “we go home Fridays at 4:30.”

I propose that some of the half a million dollars wasted on the now-abandoned and closed front entrance could have been spent on a simple fire alarm system. The cost of a simple bell and a sign that reads “In case of alarm call Fire Dept.” is much cheaper than the unused lobby, ramps, lighting and doors on the front end of this “modern stucco and steel edifice.” Unfortunately, it appears that the only way Mission College can clean out those virus-stuffed computers in the library is to subject some of them to a good soaking.

DAL GRAHAM

Sylmar