It is that time of year when undergraduates finalizing signing leases with house corporations or with local housing groups for residency next academic year. While house corporations are focused on filling the fraternity house, doesn’t the house corporation also have a responsibility to educate our younger brothers on what they should be looking for when signing leases?
By J. Dennis Gentzel, P.E., Fire Programs Specialist, US Fire Administration
Every year college and university students experience a growing number of fire-related emergencies. There are several causes for these fires, however, most are due to a general lack of knowledge about fire safety and prevention.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) offers these tips to help reduce and prevent the loss of life and property in dormitory and university housing fires.
The Facts
In most cases where fire fatalities occurred on college campuses, alcohol was a factor. There is a strong link between alcohol and fire deaths. In more than 50% of adult fire fatalities, victims were under the influence at the time of the fire. Alcohol abuse often impairs judgment and hampers evacuation efforts. Cooking is the leading cause of fire injuries on college campuses, closely followed by careless smoking and arson.
The Cause
Many factors contribute to the problem of dormitory housing fires.
Improper actions prior to notifying the fire department delays emergency response.
Student apathy is prevalent. Many are unaware that fire is a risk or threat in the environment.
Evacuation efforts are hindered since fire alarms are often ignored.
Building evacuations are delayed due to lack of preparation and preplanning.
Vandalized and improperly maintained smoke alarms and fire alarm systems inhibit early detection of fires.
Misuse of cooking appliances, overloaded electrical circuits and extension cords increase the risk of fires.
The Center for Campus Fire Safety presents the nation’s premier campus fire safety training event of the year. The 2011 Campus Fire Forum will be November 7-9 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indianapolis Marriott.
The Forum will offer educational workshops, conducted by some of the nation’s leading fire safety and industry professionals, and hosted networking receptions. The Forum will also be showcasing the advancements in products that provide solutions to campus fire safety enhancements. And don’t forget the Town Meeting, which has always been a highly successful group discussion forum.
On Tuesday, November 8, several representatives from the Greek community will be presenting and discussing several sessions regarding Greek housing
Sprinkler systems can be a way to protect the health and safety of your members living in fraternity/sorority housing, but they can be complicated to install. Joe Renie of SimplexGrinnell has offered to shed some light on the topic of sprinkler installation for local fraternity/sorority volunteers.
Joe is the Business Development Manager for SimplexGrinnell responsible for the Greek housing market. He has 30 years of experience in the construction business with the last 20 years with SimplexGrinnell and has participated in all aspects of the fire protection industry.
He will be hosting a webinar, Sprinkler 101, on November 9, November 18 and again on November 22 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time/8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Don’t fall into the “I can do it quicker and better” syndrome.
If you do, you are not managing. You will stay stuck in a rut and keep your subordinates in a rut too. Delegate the work.
Clarify the task in your own mind.
Visualize what the finished task/ product would look like. Many times supervisors are disappointed with the work their subordinates return to them because the supervisors themselves weren’t clear on what they wanted.
Write and outline or sketch what you want.
You’ll find it helps clarify what you’re thinking. Soon you’ll be verbally expressing what you want more clearly.
Do the task in your mind – walk through the various steps.
That way you’ll know to point out specific details that your delegate may not know about.
The Harrison Fire Department demonstrates the importance of fire sprinklers for a live audience. There are two identical mock dorm rooms on display at a student apartment complex near James Madison University. The gold room has one fire sprinkler, and the purple room does not. The fire department conducts a live burn, setting fire to the two rooms simultaneously. Captain Arthur Miller first describes how fast the fire burns, then the fire is started around 3:20 in the video. Once the fire starts, the sprinkler controls the fire 20-25 seconds later. The other fire burns uncontrollably.In under 3 minutes, the fire flashes over and becomes unsurvivable.
This communication blog has been designed to help Theta Chi House Corporations. If you have ideas for articles, questions or concerns about the blog, or have some general feedback, please email Theta Chi at housing@thetachi.org
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It is that time of year when undergraduates finalizing signing leases with house corporations or with local housing groups for residency next academic year. While house corporations are focused on filling the fraternity house, doesn’t the house corporation also have a responsibility to educate our younger brothers on what they should be looking for when signing leases?
