Plans are underway to replace the outdated smoke detectors in the Holmes Student Center with a new, $500,000 system.

NIU Project Manager Conrad Miller said NIU is replacing the old system because no replacement parts are available should it fail. It has been operating since 1966, and the original manufacturer went out of business, he said.

“Our hope is that the design work will be done this fall, so we’ll be able to work on it over the winter,” Miller said.

The National Fire Prevention Codes have changed since 1966. New regulations require audio alarms and lights throughout the student center, and a firefighter call system located in each of the stair towers.

Lieutenant Steve Kessler of the Dekalb Fire Department,thinks the new models are quite an improvement.

“There’s a similar one (smoke detector) in Gilbert, and we like the newer systems because they tell you exactly what zone the detector went off in,” he said.

The new smoke detection system will be designed by Buchanan, Bellows, & Associates.

“We won’t remove the old system until the newer model is installed, because the safety of the occupants is of major concern,” Miller said.