IT'S BEEN NEARLY A DECADE since the student-caused fire in a Seton Hall University (N.J.) dormitory killed three students and critically injured many others. The tragedy forced campus leaders to take a hard look at fire-prevention procedures and how to improve them.
"Administrators clearly saw the tragedy as an incident that could just as easily have happened [on any campus] and took steps to evaluate and reenergize local fire safety efforts,” says Paul Martin, vice president for The Center for Campus Fire Safety, a nonprofit established in 2003.
It’s a job that will never be over. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), during 2003-2006 an estimated 750 structure fires in college classroom buildings and adult education centers were reported per year, on average. Since the Seton Hall fire took place, the publication Campus Firewatch has identified more than 135 campus-related fire deaths nationwide, with 83 percent of campus-related fire fatalities occurring in off-campus housing.
College and university leaders are turning to a combination of awareness programs and technology to keep students safe from fire.
Teaching Fire Lessons
The campus is a good setting for students to brush up on their knowledge of what to do in a fire. It’s a lesson that often hasn’t been reviewed since the school days of “stop, drop, and roll,” finds Michael Hodgson, campus fire marshal at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Teaching methods at institutions can range from fire demonstrations and mock drills to online fire safety programs like igot2kno.org. Developed under a Department of Homeland Security grant and presented by the People’s Burn Foundation, that site offers facts about fire-related causes and contains videos, one featuring a male student who was severely burned in a fire.
At a recent Georgia Tech interactive fire safety fair, students saw how quickly fire can progress as a mock dorm room was ignited. They could also crawl through a smoke-filled trailer simulating vision impairment during a real fire. Approximately 300 student staff members receive fire safety training twice a year at the university.
In addition, the university’s 40 Greek houses, 31 of which belong to the city of Atlanta, undergo a fire/life safety inspection every semester. House occupants get a report noting a deadline for correcting any problems. The inspector brings any problems to the attention of the Greek life office, which, Hodgson notes, ensures compliance with directives. “Some of the fraternities have requested that we come out and teach a fire safety class, and we have done that on many occasions,” he explains. “We make sure they understand the basics and some prevention tips.”
A personalized message helps students see the importance of fire prevention, says Michael Halligan, associate director of environmental health and safety and fire marshal at the University of Utah. Talks there have covered subjects such as leaving rooms when an alarm sounds, not leaving a stove unattended, and keeping stairwells clear of debris. “Instead of telling them what they should and shouldn’t do, we use words to hopefully get them to see it from their perspective,” Halligan adds. “It’s important for them to take their own actions to prevent fires from happening.”
Seton Hall: A Decade Later
Following the fatal Seton Hall University dorm fire in 2000, legislation required all New Jersey colleges and universities to retrofit their residence halls with sprinkler systems. It's a move being made by institutions across the country as well.
Laura Wankel, vice president for student affairs at Seton Hall, says fire safety procedures, training, and practices have since been revised considerably.
Gettysburg College (Pa.) officials take what David Taylor, associate director of the Department of Public Safety, refers to as a “360-degree fire prevention program.” Students see fire-related messages on pizza boxes, can win prizes by finding a hidden message in posters within residence halls, and are invited to a fire safety theme night. “We concentrate hard on first-year students,” says Taylor, noting that they tend to not be used to fire alarms and sprinkler systems or realize what’s expected of them in a residential setting.
Detecting a Cause for Alarm
On the facilities front, institutions are increasing coverage of sprinkler systems in residence halls and installing newer alarm systems capable of reporting specifically on which device has been activated.
