You are sitting in the corner of a crowded computer lab, totally zoned in on your work. Suddenly, you look up to see the lab deserted. "Where has everyone gone?" you wonder as people begin to file in after the fire alarm.

You are deaf.

Such cases may seem rare, but a similar incident occurred Thursday at the Gould-Simpson building. A deaf student remained in a sealed computer lab during the duration of a fire alarm because no visual alarm, such as a strobe light, was provided in the lab.

"We did not know a disabled student was in there," said John Luiten, principal computing manager for the Computer Science Department. "We always keep track of disabled students."

Luiten said he later contacted the UA Department of Risk Management and arranged for an audio/visual alarm to be installed in the lab.

However, buildings like the Gould-Simpson Building, the Main Library, and other older structures do not have to have visual fire alarm systems, said Colleen Morgan, an occupational safety specialist for the Department of Risk Management and Safety.

While present-day building codes require audio/visual alarm systems in places where people gather in groups of more than five, "there is no requirement to uphold modern codes retroactively," she said. "The only retroactive requirement is those items that provide a hazard to life. That's a judgment at the discretion of the fire marshall."

Built in 1985, the Gould-Simpson Building was subject to earlier codes which did not require visual alarms.

Risk Management Director Steve Holland said updating alarms is an "ongoing process" and new fire alarm systems will be installed in seven older buildings this summer.

Still, audio-only fire alarm systems remain in place across the university, leaving the possibility that hearing-impaired students, faculty or staff will be stranded in the case of a fire.

"It's almost as ridiculous as providing a visible warning signal where a person happens to be blind," said Kent Kloepping, director of the UA Center for Disability Related Resources.