ENGINEERING SCIENCE BUILDING: A FIRE RESILIENT AND LIFE SAFETY BUILDING?

(THIRD AND FOURTH FLOOR)

INTRODUCTION

Cavite State University—Don Severino Delas Alas Campus (Main Campus—Indang) is

considered one of the biggest and most prestigious universities in the Philippines. It is also
considered one of the pioneers of green building in Cavite and state universities around the
Philippines.
In this report, we will be discussing how safe one of the buildings in the university is,
specifically in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the Engineering Science
Building, most commonly known as “ES bldg.” Together with my partner for this checklist report,
Ms. Mikaela Espina, in this 2 series anthology report, we will discuss the first part about the 1st
and 2nd floors and mine discussing the second part about the third and fourth floors. Let us dig
deep now. How safe is the ES building? Is it fire safety-ready? What are the things that need to
be added and/or fixed? And what are some mitigation strategies that a student like us must
consider to mitigate a man-made disaster, specifically fire?

DISCUSSION

The Engineering Science Building (ES Bldg.) is one of the most beautiful buildings ever
constructed at the university. Having its overall look as a mixture of modern and commercial
Renaissance buildings, we can firmly say ES Bldg. is one of a kind.
 This report will primarily discuss all about fire and life safety and emergency features of
the ES building, specifically the third and fourth floors of the building.

FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY SYSTEM IN

PRESENT OR NOT
BUILDINGS
EXIT SIGNS 
FIRE DOORS 
EMERGENCY EYE WASH STATION 
FIRE ALARMS 
FIRE HOSE 
SMOKE & HEAT DETECTORS 
FIRE SPRINKLERS 
EMERGENCY LIGHTS 
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS 
ACCESSIBLE EMERGENCY EXIT 

TABLE 1: Checklist of Engineering Science Building’s Fire and Life Safety System

Each floor in the ES building has a designated program and/or course that resides there.
Students of the Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering are the ones that use the third floor, and
students of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture are the ones that use the fourth floor.

Based on the checklist that I have made, which is purely based on my observations of the
buildings’ fire and life safety systems. The building somehow passed the average standard of the
minimum number of fire and life safety systems that must be present in the building. Although the
building somehow lacks some of the important fire and life safety systems, which is noticeable.
Hence, it is understandable and acceptable. Given that, the buildings’ condition is somewhat
unfinished and open for completion.

Lastly, as students, it is our duty to care for the university, especially the building that we
utilize, as it is one of the foundations of our success, and in accordance with the university's
tenets, “truth, excellence, and service." We are the ones responsible for and capable of mitigating
man-made disasters like fire. We should always employ and embody the university's rules, order,
and laws, as they comprise mitigation strategies that will lessen impacts on the university’s overall
condition and environment. And the very least that we could do is comply with it and preserve it.

CONCLUSION

To conclude this fire and life safety system checklist report, here is a quotation by Vince
Lombardi: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
We, the students and future alumna of the university, have a duty to preserve the
university’s condition and environment. Also, as a civil engineering student, we always have an
eye for excellence; it is our duty to preserve the vision and mission of the College of Engineering
and Information Technology for the next generation. And one of them is to have a preserved and
complete fire and life safety ES building., which is a building that, alongside the success of all
CVSU-produced engineers and aspiring students who aspire to be one of them someday,.

Lastly, let us continue to chase perfection so that we always continue to catch excellence.
The ES building is an unfinished building and is open for completion. Just like the ES building, we
are all not yet complete, and we should always be open to completion and perfection. Through
that, we can achieve excellence and success.