By Tim Knisely (CCFS)
The New Semester: It didn’t take long to realize that the spring semester was beginning and the students had returned. Saturday night/Sunday morning activity was on the rise. The large number of students living off-campus keeps all emergency services busy, especially on the weekends. But, the large number of young adults living on their own for the first time in a college town creates a fire risk different than other cities and towns. The local fraternity houses are booming with activity and this activity usually translates to activity for the fire department sooner or later.This night it was sooner.
CO Alarm: The first response after midnight was for a carbon monoxide alarm ringing in a fraternity house. On arrival of the FD the alarm was investigated and normal conditions were found, at least for the air quality. Crews on the interior could not make access to the second or third floor corridors due to the amount of furniture and junk stored in the halls. The fraternity brothers were in the process of moving to their new rooms this weekend, and anything left behind was pushed into the hall and left there to be removed at a future time. This morning though they did not expect the FD to visit the house. The house was ordered to clear the corridors immediately – or be closed.
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Most universities do not allow candles in dormitories for good reason: they often cause fires when left burning unattended or placed too close to combustible materials.
If you are using candles in your off-campus home, use them safely.
- Extinguish candles when you leave the room or going to sleep
- Keep candles away from drapes, books and papers or other flammable objects
- Place candles on a flat surface where they will not be accidently overturned
- Use a candleholder to catch hot wax (remember, hot liquids burn like fire!)
- Ceiling fans and vents can cause air currents which cause rapid, uneven burning and dripping
- Extinguish the flame when the candle burns low, before the wick holder is visible
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By Gail Minger
Provided by the Center for Campus Fire Safety
This is the time of year parents and students alike are anxious about the new adventure they are about to experience: going off to college. It is an exciting time, a time of change. It is a time when parents worry about their son or daughter moving away from home. “Did I teach them what they need to know to live outside the protection of their familiar surroundings, their home? Did I prepare them for the many changes and responsibilities they are about to undertake? ”
Life at college has its’ undeniable stresses— doing well academically, getting your own meals, washing your own laundry, getting enough rest, managing your time, and, of course, making time for all of the social happenings on and around campus. Today parents and students are more aware and do ask more questions about safety. After the high profile campus shootings and campus assaults, there is good reason to worry.
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Theta Chi Fraternity and The Norwich Housing Corporation are teaming up with the Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) to recognize September as Fire Safety Month at universities and colleges across North America.
Regardless of a person’s age, fire kills. And with August and September typically being the worst months for fatal campus-related fires, now is the best time for everyone to get reacquainted with living fire safe. Fire safety skills are not just important undergraduate skills- they are life skills that will reduce the chance of death or injury. Unfortunately, most college students do not realize how quickly a fire can grow, or even worse, how to respond when a fire does occur. Therefore, spreading the fire safety message and imparting vital life preserving skills requires a team approach.
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Fraternities are following the lead of sororities by replacing the standard key lock systems on their chapter houses with fingerprint readers. These devices use biometric technology to turn an authorized person’s fingerprint in to a numerical algorithm. The authorized person must subsequently provide that same fingerprint to be read and recognized by the reader before access is granted. The fingerprint readers increase the security level of the house by eliminating the risk of a key ending up in the wrong hands. Only the with person authorized access can successfully pass a biometric reader and it also requires that the person be physically present for access to be granted.
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New Laws Require Smoke Detectors to have Electrical Backup; Fraternities and Sororities to have Fire Sprinkler Systems
BLOOMINGTON – July 27, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that requires fraternity and sorority housing in Illinois to install automatic fire sprinkler systems. Governor Quinn also highlighted a new law that requires housing units in Illinois to have a backup power supply for all smoke detectors that are wired to a building’s electrical supply.
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U.S. Fire Administration
Every year in the United States, we celebrate the Fourth of July with community parades, picnics, barbecues, and fireworks – the things of which happy memories are made. But sadly, Independence Day also includes tragic events resulting from fireworks use. The safest way to enjoy them is through public displays conducted by professional pyrotechnicians hired by communities.
Learning fireworks safety tips can help ensure that everyone has a happy and safe summer holiday. (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/fireworks.shtm)
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Education, technology, regular maintenance and the appropriate discipline of pranksters are just some of the ways you can begin to address this problem.
By Robin Hattersley Gray
The results of Campus Safety magazine’s annual fire survey are in, and once again, false/nuisance alarms continue to be a thorn in the sides of university, school and hospital protection professionals. Nearly half (47 percent) of survey respondents indicated that false alarms are among their four biggest fire safety challenges.
Whether false/nuisance alarms are caused by burned popcorn, shower steam, lack of maintenance, poor system design, careless contractors or pranksters playing a practical joke, there is nothing amusing about them. Campuses that don’t address this issue run the risk of wasting precious public safety resources each time an officer is dispatched to check on yet another red herring. Additionally, students, patients, faculty and staff stop taking fire alarms seriously when a fire alarm system regularly goes into alarm needlessly. Read more…
The Centers for Disease Control cites air-conditioning as the No.1 protection against heat-related illness and death during the hot summer months, but these appliances must be used safely. According to the NFPA, air conditioning was involved in an average of 2,200 home fires per year, resulting in an average of 16 civilian deaths, 85 civilian injuries, and $54 million in direct property damage.
• Choose an air conditioning unit which is the proper size & energy for the area (10×12 Room: 5,000 Btu/hr; 20×20: 10,000 Btu /hr; 1,200sq ft home: 23,000 Btu/hr).
• Check the electrical circuit to be sure it can supply the necessary energy.
• Never alter a plug to fit it into an outlet. Instead, have a qualified electrician replace the outlet.
• Be sure your cord will reach a wall outlet. Read more…
By Tim Knisely (CCFS)
