College Campus Fire Safety - Richard Mais

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Last year, Firehouse magazine had an interesting article on fire safety for college students based on research done by Campus Firewatch, an electronic newsletter focusing on college fire safety. The piece presented some tragic and sobering statistics, but also offered some real insight on the underlying issues. The earlier article reported that Campus Firewatch had identified 109 campus-related fire deaths between January 2000 and July 2007. That number has been revised upwards to 209 as of June 2008. More than 80% of the original 109 occurred off campus, where over two-thirds of students live. Investigation of these and non-fatal fires reveal a number of common factors. Parties and alcohol are a recurring issue in fatal fires. Campus Watch and USA Today studied 43 fires that killed 62 students. The sobering statistics are: • In 59% of the fires, at least one of the students killed had been drinking. • In 28% of the fires, the smoke detector was missing or disconnected. • 25% of the fires occurred after a party. • In the 21 cases where blood-alcohol content was measured at autopsy, the average was 0.12 and the high was 0.24. • 56% of the fires occurred on Saturday or Sunday. It comes as no surprise that alcohol affects the ability to respond to emergencies and there is little need to talk about that fact. The high cost of housing around campuses leads to creative living arrangements. A common one is too many people in an older, less expensive, infrequently (if ever) inspected, possibly substandard structure. Large closets, windowless basements and unfinished attics with limited access like a ladder are converted to sleeping areas. Extension cords are run everywhere and easily overload outdated wiring. There are no smoke detectors. Old, inefficient heating leads to use of electric or gas space heaters. Throw smoking in to the mix and the potential for tragedy is clear. A point that will be near and dear to all moms is general housekeeping. Trash accumulates in halls and doors and blocks safe egress. Bicycles are locked in hallways with the same effect. More importantly, accumulated trash is an easily ignited fuel load. In a 1996 UNC frat house fire, a cigarette dropped into trash the night before started a fire the following morning killing three. What can we do? Encourage our children to take advantage of campus housing, which is more likely to meet current fire codes and to be frequently inspected. If they go off campus, pay close attention to the quality of the prospective accommodations. Regardless of where they live, key questions to ask include: • Is someone on campus devoted solely to full-time, fire safety? • How many fires have occurred on- and off-campus? • Is the housing equipped with automatic fire sprinklers? If not, why? • Does every room have a smoke alarm? Does the signal go only to campus security, or to there and the fire department? • Are there frequent false alarms? False alarms make students stop paying attention. • Are individuals who cause false alarms or do not evacuate when they occur properly disciplined? • Is the fire department notified immediately? Some schools have on-site personnel investigate first, potentially delaying a necessary response. • Are hazards like smoking, halogen lamps and candles prohibited? • Are appliances and power strips inspected and approved before use? • How much fire prevention training does the staff receive? • How often do students get fire safety training? • How often are evacuation drills conducted? • How often are facilities inspected for fire safety and are students and parents advised of findings? As much as our kids like the web, some time at www.campus-firewatch.com will also go a long way towards protecting them and preparing them for when they have their own families. As with most things, a modicum of common sense will go a long way towards avoiding a senseless tragedy. Richard Mais is a firefighter with and chair of the budget and finance committee for the BBVFC, which he joined in 1987. He and his wife, Rebecca, operate McCabe’s Gourmet Market in South Bethany and live in Fenwick Island with their two sons. Richard is a former Fenwick Island town councilman and can be reached at [email protected].