Every month, an alarm blares throughout the residence halls - another fire drill.

But following Friday's fire at Bryan Hall, several students said they first thought alarms were only signaling a fire drill, and the majority of the residents were in no hurry to exit the building.

Many students only knew it was a real fire once they saw the smoke rising from a third-floor window.

"They think they are invulnerable, and therefore 'It's not going to happen to me,' but it does happen," said Paul Goldblatt, director of Residence Life. "(Fires happen) in residence halls all over the country."

Students should be more conscious of fire safety, Goldblatt said, adding that they should know the dangers of candles and electrical equipment.

Friday demonstrates why students should take every fire alarm seriously, said Angela Brown, director of University Housing.

"For students not to take them seriously, they are putting their lives in danger," Brown said.

Hospitality business sophomore Jenna Snyder, a resident in South Wonders Hall, experienced a dorm fire first-hand this year when an electrical cord sparked a fire in September.

It was the first dorm fire of the year.

"No one knew what to do," Snyder said. "It wasn't like the fire drills usually are."

Snyder said students still went outside for safety.

When she hears the fire alarms, Snyder said she feels "annoyed," but takes them seriously and "always goes outside."

But the overall attitude students have toward fire drills is very poor, Snyder said.

"Most people don't care," she said. "I know some people who even lock themselves in their room, so they don't have to go outside."

Most students cooperate and follow directions even if they are annoyed by the procedure, Goldblatt said. Residence mentors knock on doors to ensure that all students evacuate, but there aren't "very many instances of someone refusing to leave," Goldblatt said.

"Generally, students do not see the need for fire drills, because they don't believe (a fire) will happen in their hall."

No drills take place in December or April, because of final exams.

"We think it'd be disruptive for students," Goldblatt said.

But journalism freshman Elizabeth Hoelscher said, with the frequency of fire alarms, it's hard to find them important.

"They happen so often," Hoelscher said. "If there was an actual fire, I'd take it seriously."