UC Davis has seen a rise in activations of emergency eye wash/shower combination units in public areas, causing significant building and equipment damage.

To address this, EH&S and Facilities are collaborating on a pilot program to equip these units with silent alarms. These alarms notify Facilities Management when a unit is activated, enabling a rapid response to stop the flow and begin cleanup and damage control.

In 2024, silent alarms were installed on 24 combination units across four campus buildings. The alarm is visible as a grey and green box located next to the emergency unit (marked by the green circle in photo).

The silent alarm is triggered after a specific volume of water flow has passed the sensor, indicating that the unit has been activated and water is actively flowing. 

Once this volume has been reached, Facilities is notified via the silent alarm that the unit has been activated. Once the unit is deactivated, the remote alarm will stop.

FAQs   

• Does the silent alarm activate if an emergency shower is activated intentionally during an emergency?
• Yes. If an emergency unit is used in response to an exposure to the body the silent alarm will activate, since users are instructed to rinse the affected area for 15 minutes. However, emergency services are not deployed. Call 9-1-1 in any emergency involving an emergency eye wash or shower unit; do not rely on the silent alarm as it does not notify emergency services. 
• Will the silent alarm activate during monthly testing of the emergency unit? 
• Facilities will be dispatched if the alarm lasts longer than expected for normal monthly testing (approximately 2-5 minutes). Additionally, Facilities (530-752-1655) can be notified prior to testing to alert them that the emergency units will be activated.