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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 1986)
Weather: Today, partly cloudy wit h a high in the mid 80s. Tonight, clear, with lows in the mid (ifls. Huskers recruit Downing as freshman coach Sports, Page 6 Stereotypes missing from 'Parting Glances' Arts & Entertainment, Page 7 August 15, 1986 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol.85 No. 173 o TJT! Tl no n By Colleen Kenney Staff Reporter The hazardous smoke has cleared from a July 16 chemical fire in Hamil ton Hall, but UNL officials will have to make some changes before another chemical fire occurs, State Fire Mar shall Wally Barnett said Wednesday. UNL laboratories containing haz ardous chemicals should have water reactive chemicals stored in water proof cabinets instead of the wooden ones in use now, Barnett said. And an exact list of all chemicals in each laboratory should be readily available to firemen, he said. Lincoln firefighters spent about three hours on July 16 trying to extinguish the fire in an eighth floor laboratory. The fire caused about $100,000 in damage and apparently started when an unidentified chemical, probably water-reactive metallic sodium, came in contact with moisture and burst into flames, said Del Weed, UNL's biosafety officer. Barnett said the chemical ate through the wooden cabinet and possibly mixed -with another chemical. - Weed said a list of about 100 chemi cals in the laboratory was available, but Barnett suggested exact lists be posted on cabinet and laboratory doors to help firefighters. A sign was posted on the door of the laboratory warning firemen that water should not be used to put out a chemi cal fire. Chemicals stored in the laboratory were the most highly rated on a mea sure of hazards to health, flammability and toxicity, Weed said. Lincoln fire chief Neil McPherson said a UNL professor at the scene could not tell firemen exactly what the fire and smoke was made of chemically. Barnett said he did not know whether an apparent elevator malfunction was caused by human or mechanical error. Once the fire alarm sounds the two elevators in Hamilton Hall go down to the first floor and shut off. Firemen then can open a fire alarm panel on the first floor and use a key to bypass the alarm system and operate the elevator. Last July 16 McPherson said fire fighters had to carry their equipment f.-i ire in Hamilton; no damage done By Colleen Kenney Senior Reporter The second chemical fire in less than a month blazed Wednesday afternoon in a Hamilton Hall research laboratory; however, this fire was extinguished in a matter of minutes. The fire occurred at about 1:30 p.m. when benzine vapors were released from a container during an experiment and burst into flames, said Steve Schneider, deputy state fire marshall. No one was injured in the fire, he said. "The flame was out before fire fighters arrived at the seventh floor research laboratory, he said. There was no damage in the latest fire, which was extinguished by a UNL graduate student, Louis Schulte, said George Sturgeon, vice chairman of the chemistry depart ment. Schulte used a dry powder extin guisher on the fire, he said. A fire in Hamilton Hall July 16 caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.' The fire started when a water-reactive chemical, probably metallic sodium, came in contact with moisture and burst into flames. A nuclear magnetic resonance spec trometer was damaged by the use of fire extinguishers, Sturgeon said. Lincoln fire fighters at the time of the fire were not able to activate the elevators at first and had to climb eight flights of stairs with their equipment. Melvin Keller, a district fire chief, said the two elevators were working Wednesday afternoon. In the July fire Keller said fire men could not override the eleva tor's fire alarm system when the firefighters wanted to use the elevators. The fire Wednesday was 'Very dif ferent than tfie'other fire," he said. up eight flights of stairs to fight the fire. One elevator jammed on the eighth floor. "We take care of UNL but it's up to them to have those elevators working," McPherson said. "We got up there and it didn't work." UNL maintenance officials said that while the elevators could have mal functioned, the more likely cause was error by the firemen. The key in the fire alarm panel must be held at the bypass position until the elevator's generator is ready, UNL Maintenance Manager Jerry Delhay said. "The next day at a meeting we ran it through the paces and it worked fine," Delhay said. Three UNL maintenance workers got the elevator working dur ing the fire, but after the firemen had already reached the fire by stairs, Del hay said. The principle damage was to a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, damaged by the use of fire extin guishers, said George Sturgeon, vice chairman of the chemistry department. Residue from the chemical fire was transported Monday to an Environmen tal Protection Agency waste site, Weed said. Death of UNL police officer 'a loss to the department' By Michael Hooper Staff Reporter Funeral and burial services were held Wed nesday in Milford for UNL Police Cpl. Tim Tolle, who worked for the UNL Police Department since 1975, first as an officer and then later as field supervisor. Services were held at the United Methodist Church in Milford for Tolle, who was promoted to corporal in 1983 and then became a field supervi sor. Tolle died Saturday at the Lincoln General Hos pital of physical compli cations that arose from arteriosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. He suffered from the disease for sev eral vears. according to UNL Police Lt. Ken Cau- Tol,e ble. Tolle was buried at the Blue mound Ceme tery in Milford. Cauble said Tolle was largely responsible for setting up the communications division at the UNL Police Department. Tolle, with the help of officer Wayne Farrin, wrote procedure manuals and set up radio systems. "It's one of the better communications depart ments around," Cauble said. As a field officer, Tolle came to work at 6:30 a.m., and supervised four officers until 3:00 p.m., Cauble said. Cauble said Tolle loved his work. "His life-long dream was to be a police officer," he said. "I've known very few people to love police work as much as he did. To him it was a full-time job, 24 hours a day." Tolle set a good example for the police crew, Cauble said. "He had a very caring attitude toward both officers and people in the street." "Tim was friendly, funny and always thinking of others before himself," Cauble said. In 1985 Cauble was going home for Christmas for a couple of weeks. Cauble said he hadn't been home for five years, and Tolle knew this. Yet Tolle, who was sick from his disease and couldn't move much, didn't tell Cauble he was sick because he knew if he did, Cauble wouldn't go home for Christmas. "I found out after I got back," Cauble said. Li was always doing things like that for people." Cauble said Tolle had a good sense of humor. "At his funeral they read a letter Tim had wrote, that said, 'I couldn't decide whether to tell you I was sick or whether I'd rather be in Philidelphia.'" Tolle "definitely is a loss to our department and the university." Tolle is survived by wife, Bev of Milford, daughter Tammy, and son Scott, who are both married and in their early 20s, Cauble said. i i 4 r en A A x : t -J k . 1 ' if V - 1 f I A V i " v- y. Linda StoryDaily Nebraskxn A camera for every citizen. At least it appeared that the film processors of Lincoln would flourish after Photo Day at the University of Nebraska nemcricl Stadium. The entire football team posed for formal shots, and signed auto graphs for hundreds of eager fans. J
