Sending Fire Safety Off to College

By Nate Gibbons
Westport Fire Department
Special to WestportNow

As parents pack up the trunks and load the SUV for the drive off to college, your Westport Fire Department wants you to include something small, simple, yet as valuable as the life of that son or daughter: fire safety away from home.

Each year there are more than 1,700 dormitory fires at U.S. colleges and universities and that figure does not include off-campus or ‘Greek’ housing. The last several years have seen multiple-fatality fires on college campuses — tragic deaths that could have been prevented using basic fire safety skills.

Going off to college brings many new challenges. It provides independence. It offers great opportunities for knowledge and growth but also the temptations of risky behaviors beyond parental supervision.

The transition from living at home to life in a college dorm or fraternity/sorority can be overwhelming, so it is not surprising that fire safety and fire survival get lost in the mix. Many young men and women feel invincible or indestructible. Toxic fire gases and inadequate or blocked fire exits don’t recognize that feeling.

Our experience as firefighters has shown us that certain behaviors increase the chances of injury or death in a fire. And certain simple skills can make almost any fire survivable. These are the same skills we teach to all Westport’s K thru 2 classes, but expanded to address the challenges college living brings.

1) Plan your escape: As you move into that dorm, identify a primary and secondary exit. Always have at least two ways to exit the dorm. Make sure the windows in the room open fully. Use a firefighter’s trick: count the number of doorways to the left or right to the exit stair. That way if you have to crawl on your hands and knees in a smoky environment you know which door is the one that gets you out.

2) Know the Building: Every student should study. Every fireproof student should study the exits in the buildings they spend time in. Classrooms, labs, libraries, off-campus party houses: all have exits and it takes only a few seconds to identify two routes of escape. It may not be a fire that requires the quick escape from a building. Plan ahead.

3) Summon Help: While it seems every student has at least one cell phone at all times, does that student know the right number to call? They must learn the quickest way to call for help. Internal telephone systems on campuses frequently do not recognize “911”. A call to “911” on a cell phone may not connect the caller to the closest emergency response. Learn the correct numbers to summon help to on-campus and off-campus locations and program them into that cell phone.

4) If Fire Strikes…: Personal preservation requires that one act immediately. Test doors to see if they are hot before opening them. Crawl low in smoke, Get out and stay out. Pull the fire alarm on your way out to warn others and call for help from a safe location. Be aware of high risk locations such as crowded parties and older housing (i.e. “Animal House” frats).

5) The ‘Impairment’ Factor: Fatal fires that have occurred on and off campus over the last five years have a common factor: alcohol. Impaired students accidentally starts fires (candles are the biggest culprit, cigarettes No. 2), or intentionally start fires (torching bulletin boards). Every year, students die from smoke inhalation at fires they were unable to escape because they were passed out. Your son or daughter should recognize all the risks of alcohol impairment, including the fire risk.

6) Survival Kit: Send your college student off with a kiss and a simple survival kit. Every student room should have a small ABC fire extinguisher, a working smoke detector and a working flashlight on the bedside table. Knowing how to use these tools will provide protection, early warning and guide the way to safety.

Part of the parental reality check must recognize that dorm or ‘Greek’ living has an increased risk associated with it. Students will use hot plates in their rooms and light candles. Fire extinguishers get vandalized. False fire alarms can occur so frequently that a real alarm may be ignored. And students, like many of us, either are oblivious to fire risks or think that fires happen to ‘other people, not me’.

Our goal at the Westport Fire Department is to prevent death, injury and loss from fire — not just here in our town, but wherever our residents may be. We urge parents and students to take these six points of advice with them as they head off for the fall semester. A small amount of preparation is all it takes to save your own life in a fire.
___
Nate Gibbons is an inspector with the Westport Fire Department. For further information contact him at (203)341-5020 or e-mail him at ngibbons@ci.westport.ct.us

Posted August 17, 2005 05:35 PM