Around 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, freshman Logan Sanders and five other Belmont students found themselves stuck between floors P1 and 1 in the larger elevator of the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center.
“Well, we panicked first and then decided to press the emergency button,” Sanders said. Belmont Campus Security Officers responded almost immediately within a few minutes of receiving the call.
Since this happened so early in the morning, Belmont’s Facilities Maintenance Services worker was not on campus at this time.
A Belmont Campus Security Officer was informed over the phone how to reset the elevator in the mechanical room.
But it wasn’t working.
“We talked to campus security the whole time. They kept asking us to hit buttons, but nothing,” Sanders said.
Once the Facilities Maintenance Services worker arrived to campus, he also tried to reset the elevator, but that wasn’t working either.
“We were so tired, and we all had to go to the bathroom,” said Sanders.
After hours, the elevator maintenance company that Belmont has on contract eventually arrived and was able to open the elevator shaft.
The issue?
The elevator was stuck in between floors.
“We do not mess with elevators when they are in between floors,” said Campus Security Deputy Chief Mark Labbé.
The fire department was called and within 15 minutes of them being on scene, they were able to get the students out.
“I’d like to thank Belmont Security for being nothing but fantastic in helping us,” said Sanders.
Every month the Office of Campus Security checks the phones in the elevators, and all the area refuge and blue phones on campus.
“I appreciate them being patient as they were,” said Labbé.
His advice when trapped in an elevator is to call for help, don’t press buttons and try to remain calm.
“I’d like to thank Belmont Security for being nothing but fantastic in helping us," Sanders said. "Stay calm and always use the bathroom before you get on one."
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This article was written by Elisabeth Gage
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