Due to a seemingly high number of fire alarm activations on campus, but few actual fires, students have wondered if Arlington Fire District (AFD) could be growing tired of responding, or potentially not have enough resources to respond to a real fire in the district. “I feel like the fire department just gets here, and then after a while, after so many false flags, I feel like they start to take it a little less serious, too,” said Ryan Santos ’29.
Despite student concerns, AFD employees emphasized that the department is not overwhelmed by the number of alarm activations at Vassar College; every call is still taken very seriously and alarm activations do not significantly divert resources. “That’s what we do. We’re always ready,” said AFD Public Information Officer Battalion Chief Chris Rinck.
AFD Chief of Department Adam Kangas explained that AFD responds to roughly 18 calls per 24 hours, or about 7,000 calls every year. Vassar only makes up about seven percent of those calls. Rinck added that AFD operates 24/7, 365 days a year, and they always staff four fire engines and a ladder truck, complete with firefighters as well as paramedics. Rinck continued, “So, that’s a very unique setup, and it’s robust, and it’s ahead of its time, and it’s ahead of, really, the region.”
Rinck also emphasized that AFD takes every call very seriously: “For every fire alarm or every reported fire, we send at least two fire engines and a ladder truck because we have to treat every incident like it’s an actual fire.”
As a Miscellany News reporter sat in the firehouse speaking with Kangas and Rinck, two calls went out in the first 20 minutes of their conversation. Kangas explained, “It’s an everyday occurrence.” However, even with two engines out, if a fire alarm at Vassar went off at that moment, Rinck explained, the department would still have been able to respond.
Furthermore, AFD ensures that every fire engine is staffed with a paramedic. “Every single fire engine has a paramedic on it with full ALS—advanced life support—capability,” said Kangas “So they have all their medications, their monitors, they can do advanced anything that a paramedic can do on an ambulance.” Kangas added that it is this “robust setup” that allows AFD to manage the high call volume and ensure the safety of all of the district’s residents.
According to Kangas, in the last several years, Vassar and AFD have established a partnership, including giving Vassar House Teams fire safety training. Kangas explained, “As far as overall call volume at Vassar College, because of the positive partnership that has been developed with Vassar College and Arlington Fire District, over the years, to be honest with you, there is a slight decrease in call volume at Vassar College, because of that partnership.” Kangas said that Vassar’s share of AFD’s calls has decreased from 10 to seven percent in recent years.
Vassar College Vice President for Finance and Administration Bryan Swarthout explained the other half of the partnership: “Vassar’s partnership with AFD has provided the AFD opportunities to train which builds the capacity of the AFD and allows them to be more familiar with the campus in case of an emergency.” Kangas and Rinck both pointed out that this availability for training saves them money, and also allows their firefighters to become familiar with a wider range of building designs and layouts, further ensuring public safety.
The decrease in calls is visible when comparing alarm activation data. According to Vassar Director of Campus Safety Arlene Sabo, the number of alarms went down from 346 between 2023 and 2024 to 287 between 2025 and 2026. AFD reported that Vassar accounted for roughly seven percent of 7,000 total calls in a typical year, which is about 490 alarms. However, AFD’s reported number of calls is approximately 200 higher than Sabo’s number. Sabo attributed this discrepancy to AFD also counting emergency medical calls, whereas Sabo only counted fire alarms. Further, AFD was using an estimation, and the data may have included different College-owned properties than Vassar’s numbers, Sabo wrote.
In an email to the Miscellany on Sept. 25, Kangas clarified that over the same period that Sabo’s data was from, there were 500 alarms total, combining Fire and EMS, in addition to one drill. Out of the 4,537 total calls in that period, Vassar accounted for a little more than 10 percent.
Students expressed that they were growing accustomed to the alarms and were less likely to leave their buildings. Otto Saphir ’29 explained, “I feel like I’m at the point where I’ve been disregarding fire alarms.” Saphir added that he leaves the building when an alarm goes off because of the alarms’ lights and volume rather than out of concern for his safety.
What students have seen, Kangas explained, is not a series of false alarms going off for no reason. Rinck added that there has never been a false alarm at Vassar. He noted, “Now, whether or not it’s an actual fire or not, that’s different, but the detector, the devices and the system is working.” In terms of the frequency of alarms, Rinck explained that cooking, incense use and hairspray are some common causes of alarm activations.
Rinck made it clear that alarm activations are partly due to Vassar updating and maintaining their systems well, which ultimately helps keep students safe. Sabo emphasized this in an email to the Miscellany: “Vassar has a safe campus. The alarm systems are required to be sensitive which makes them safer.”
Gabriella Catalano Malardi ’30 spoke about the impacts of alarms going off in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason: “You gotta be able to sleep to have your brain work.” She continued, “There could be a fire someplace else, and then there could be less fire people there, because they’re here.” When asked about whether any fire alarm or smoke detector changes are needed, Kangas put it simply: “No. All those systems are in place and they work very well. There’s no concern for safety.”
[Clarification (Sept. 29, 2026): A previous version of this article did not include updated total alarm numbers received from the Arlington Fire District after publication.]