A fire occurred on the evening of June 29, 2009 in the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center. The fire was quickly contained, and there was one minor injury, and some smoke and water damage to portions of the building.

Below is a statement from Vice President for Administration at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Claude Rounds on the details of the June 29, 2009 fire:

“Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute continues to investigate the details of June 29, 2009, fire in The Jonsson-Rowland Science Center. Information we have confirmed to date has provided a clear and verifiable audio and electronic record that Rensselaer’s Public Safety Office reported the fire to county 911 within 32 seconds of receiving the call from the Science Center. The Rensselaer Office of Public Safety received a call from a student reporting a fire at 6:17:28 p.m. The Office of Public Safety then called county 911 at 6:18:00 p.m.

“This information updates preliminary information provided by Rensselaer at the June 30 press briefing. It clearly demonstrates that the Rensselaer Public Safety Office acted appropriately and competently, and that there was no delay in Rensselaer’s reporting of the alarm. It also demonstrates that Rensselaer’s response time in no way put its students or the Troy firefighters at any additional risk.

“A city official – the Fire Chief – yesterday made false and unwarranted comments regarding Rensselaer’s commitment to safety. The safety and well-being of our students are of paramount importance to this Institution, and that is proven by our safety record, as well as our response to the June 29 fire.

“Rensselaer is a strong part of the Troy community and its safety effort. In 2007 alone, Rensselaer paid over $2.7 million to the City of Troy in the form of taxes, water payments, fees and gifts, including $300,000 for emergency response equipment. It is simply outrageous, inaccurate, defamatory, and inflammatory to paint Rensselaer as uncaring for its students, the city firefighters, or the people of Troy.”

Claude Rounds
Vice President for Administration
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute