Contact: Ed Comeau, Publisher
Campus Firewatch
www.campus-firewatch.com

413-323-6002 (tel)
413-896-5718 (cell)
ecomeau@campus-firewatch.com

Parents should add fire safety to the “back-to-school” list for Campus Fire Safety Month™

Last academic year was the most fatal one on record for campus-related fire deaths

BELCHERTOWN, Mass., August 29, 2007 — As students across the nation get ready to go back to school at colleges and universities, it is important that fire safety be a part of their lives. Unfortunately, this was not the case last academic year where 20 people lost their lives in campus-related fires across the nation, the most ever recorded by Campus Firewatch.

So often, fire safety is not something that either students or parents consider when looking at a school or for housing. Almost two-thirds of the students in this country live off-campus, and over 80 percent of the fire deaths happen in these occupancies. Students can learn about how to protect themselves from fire while living in the residence halls and carry these messages with them when they move into a house or apartment.

"Talk to your kids," implored Kimberly Wencl, who lost her daughter, Liz, in an off-campus fire at the University of Minnesota. "They think they are invincible at this age, but they aren't. We all have a responsibility as parents, schools and communities, but in the end it all comes down to our children taking responsibility for their own safety and actions, but only if they know what to do. Talk to them."

“The steps that everyone can take to protect themselves and their children are simple ones,” added Ed Comeau, publisher of Campus Firewatch. “However, when selecting a school and then the hectic period of moving in, there are so many other matters to take care of that fire safety often is not considered. We’re hoping that students and parents can put it on their radar screen and just do some of these steps as we head into September, which is national Campus Fire Safety Month.”

There is a list of questions that students and parents can ask to find out how much focus a school may have on fire safety. These include:

• How many fires have occurred on campus in the past year? How about fires in off-campus student housing?
• Are residence halls, Greek Housing or off-campus housing equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system? If not, why not? Sprinklers provide that vital first line of defense when it comes to controlling a fire. Ask for your student to be put in sprinklered housing.
• Does every student’s room have a smoke alarm? Does it send a signal to campus security or the fire department? Fire alarm systems will give everyone the warning that there is a fire and it is time to get out.
• How many false alarms have occurred in the residence halls? False alarms cause students to stop paying attention to the alarms, which can be a fatal decision. False alarms ARE avoidable.
• Is the fire department IMMEDIATELY notified whenever ANY fire alarm system is activated? Some schools investigate the alarm first and then notify the fire department. This delay can put more people at risk. The fire department should automatically be notified of ALL alarms.
• Are smoking, candles and Halogen lamps prohibited in the residence halls? If not, they should be.
• Does the school have policies that electrical appliances and power strips be certified as safe and reliable?
• How much fire prevention training does the residence hall staff receive?
• How often do the students themselves receive fire prevention education? This should continue throughout their academic career, not just while they are living in the residence halls.
• How often are evacuation drills conducted? There should be at least one per semester.
• What is the school’s disciplinary policy towards students that cause false alarms or fail to evacuate during an alarm?
• Does the school provide fire extinguisher training for all students?

Campus Firewatch, in publication since 2000, is a monthly electronic newsletter focusing on campus fire safety.For more information, visit our website at www.campus-firewatch.com.

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