The 9 Fires documentary, which focuses on the impact that nine campus-related fires had on families, victims and the communities, is now available as a free download from the Michael H. Minger Foundation’s web site (www.mingerfoundation.org/9-fires).
This documentary tells the story of a series of campus-related fires that occurred within a three-week period in January and February 2012 through interviews with victims, friends, family members, university and fire officials. It covers the long-term impact of these fires, the stories that so often are not heard after the headlines fade-it tells, the rest of the story. In addition, it is also now available in three downloadable segments, each focusing on on-campus, off-campus and laboratory fires.
These nine fires are a combination of tragic, fatal fires and successful sprinkler saves that occurred in residence halls, off-campus housing and laboratories, including:
· University of Wisconsin at La Crosse This fire broke out in an unsprinklered, four-story residence hall that had to be shut down for the entire semester for repairs, displacing 271 students.
· Arizona State University A fire on an upper floor of a residence hall in an unoccupied room was controlled by the quick activation of an automatic fire sprinkler system.
· Portland State University A fire in a trash chute that had backed up two stories was controlled by the sprinkler system.
· Hampden-Sydney College A fire in a university-owned theme house was started by careless disposal of a cigarette in a couch in an enclosed porch. One student was seriously burned in this fire.
· University of Maryland A fire in a high-tech laboratory was controlled by two sprinkler heads, which stopped the possible release of toxic gases that were being stored in the laboratory.
· SUNY-Canton A fire in an unsprinklered chemistry lab forced the university to shut down the campus for a week and send everyone home while the environmental impact of the fire was determined.
· Boston University Several students were injured, one critically, when they had to jump from a three-story off-campus house to escape from a fire.
· Suffolk University A student was trapped on the top floor of a four-story apartment building when a fire that started in the basement spread upwards through all four floors.
· Marist College Three students were killed in an off-campus house fire.
There has been an overwhelming response to the release in October, which is why it is now being made available for free download, in addition to streaming, and in three segments, which allows for more versatility in using the documentary during student training and education.
“I am amazed at the reception we have had for this documentary,” said Gail Minger, president of the Michael H. Minger Foundation. “We were able to produce it in a very short time because of very generous donations, and by making it available for download, we are hoping to expand our message about campus fire safety even further.”
The full documentary and the three segments are available for viewing online and download at www.mingerfoundation.org/9-fires, or in the player below.
Full video
For viewing convenience, it has also been broken it down into chapters in the players below, each one focusing on a specific occupancy.
On campus
Off-campus
Laboratories
