The Knock That Saved a Life

By Juliana Scarpelli | April 21, 2026

UAlbany resident assistant Simge Sahiner sprang into life-saving action when a late-night fire alarm in Auden Hall turned out to be far more than a false alarm.

Photo Credit: Simge Sahiner

Simge Sahiner, an RA, was in the common area of her dorm on Alumni Quad studying for a

classical algebra quiz. It was around 11 p.m., on Feb. 4., and although Sahiner was not on duty, a part of her brain is always alert to the movement of dorm life: a door slamming, a shout from inside a bedroom, the smell of food emanating from a microwave. 

About 30 minutes into studying, she heard an alarm. A fire alarm. She turned her head toward where she thought it was coming from. For a moment, Sahiner considered the possibilities: usually when a bedroom alarm goes off, it's because someone is smoking or creating too much steam in the shower or using a heat tool on their hair, but two years into the job as an RA, she knew it would be best to investigate.

She headed toward the sound and the closer she got, she noticed the smell of smoke. When she found the source of the alarm, thick black smoke poured from behind a closed bedroom door.

“This is Res Life,” Sahiner shouted, pounding on the bedroom door. “You need to open up!”

At 20 years old, Sahiner is a junior in the honors college at UAlbany studying mathematics with a minor in computer science. She moved to the United States from Turkey and began her freshman year at the university as an international student in August 2023. She wanted to move to the U.S. for college because she values the opportunities to grow and the emphasis on extracurricular activities here.

She became an RA because she wanted to take on a leadership position, and also to alleviate

housing costs, as it is typically very expensive for international students.

Sahiner banged on the door for 10 seconds, although it felt like an eternity. Finally, a trembling sleepy voice replied from the other side.

“Give me one second,” the student called out.

“No,” Sahiner shouted. “You need to open the door now!”

The door opened. An outpouring of smoke billowed out from inside the room into the hall.

Sahiner noticed the student’s eyes were bloodshot and teary. Behind the student, the bed was on fire.

“It made me really scared and it became very real very fast,” Sahiner recalled.

Faced with the decision to get herself to safety or keep knocking, she kept knocking.

Even with the chaos of everyone exiting quickly around her as she knocked and pleaded for the person inside to open up, she waited, and they ultimately emerged from the building together.

Once outside, she comforted the resident and cooperated with fire fighters, university police and local police even though she was shaken up herself. Sahiner’s own emotions and things she needed to get done took a back seat that night. As residents of the building sat outside in freezing temperatures for hours while everyone waited for it to be safe to go back inside, she sat with the resident, hugging her and reflecting within herself.

Growing up in Turkish culture, being kind to people is something that is very important to

Sahiner.

 “I put myself in her shoes,” she said. “She lost everything, there was a lot that needed to

be replaced and I realized how much harm this fire truly caused, I felt very sad for her.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

The moment that truly put things into perspective was the Fire Chief telling Sahiner that she

saved the resident’s life. She sometimes struggles with appreciating her own accomplishments and believing in herself, but this served as confirmation for her that she successfully did her job that night.

“Simghe did an outstanding job investigating and responding to the smoke detector,” Carol

Perrin, UAlbany’s Director of Residential Life said. “Her quick and decisive actions demonstrate the important role RAs play in supporting community safety and serving our student population.”

This experience caused Sahiner to think about why she chose to be an RA, and she has a whole new outlook on the job now.

“Being an RA isn't just making door tags and bulletin boards or hosting programs. These are the things that actually matter: being present, staying calm, remembering your training and reacting efficiently.”

After putting others before herself, putting on a brave face and getting no sleep, Sahiner still

went on with her responsibilities the next day. Along with fellow RAs, she hosted a Res Life

program, went to all of her classes and showed up for all five peer tutoring sessions students had booked with her at the Learning Commons.

“I never even finished studying for my quiz, I still got a full score though,” she said.