OPEN LETTER TO AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: PROMOTING FIRE SAFETY ON CAMPUSES

BY JACK J. MURPHY

Editor’s note: This Open Letter is presented as an educational aid to fire departments that have colleges and other institutions with similar life safety concerns within their jurisdictions. You may want to disseminate this information as a component of your fire prevention program.

The more than 1,500 college and university campuses in this country present a unique fire protection challenge for the fire service and college administration. It is estimated that 1,700 fires occur on American campuses each year. Fire safety on campus is a multifaceted issue. Nevertheless, for many colleges and universities, complacency toward fire and life safety are manifested by the lack of a dedicated fire safety presence, an appropriate fire protection system, and a comprehensive fire education program.

Student residential housing, laboratories, libraries, places of assembly, kitchens, classrooms, telecommunication centers, and administration buildings are among the campus facilities that can present fire hazards. A typical college campus contains a wide variety of exposures, which require varying degrees of fire protection. Classroom and administration buildings pose no greater a fire threat than the typical business occupancy. However, each of the other facilities, especially residential housing, requires special life safety and fire protection considerations.

SOME MAJOR CAMPUS INCIDENTS

The dormitory fire that occurred at Cornell University, New York, in 1966 killed eight students and one resident advisor (RA). The fire, which was determined to be set by an arsonist, began in an upholstered couch in an open lounge area. At the time of the fire, the building was being retrofitted with a sprinkler system. In fact, firefighters tripped over the sprinkler pipes while attacking the fire. To this day, the arsonist remains at large. In 1911, two firefighters and three students lost their lives in a fraternity fire at the university.

The most tragic college fire occurred during the early morning hours of December 13, 1977. A fire swept through the fourth floor of the Providence (RI) College student dormitory, killing 10 students. Highly combustible holiday decorations hanging in the corridor greatly contributed to the rapid spread of heat and smoke. According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), in 1997, smoke detectors were present in 93 percent of all dormitory fires; sprinklers were present in only 28 percent of these fires.

On January 18, 2000, three students lost their lives in a fire in Boland Hall, a freshman dormitory at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

The early-morning fire started in an open lounge area on the fourth floor. More than 60 students were injured; several suffered serious burns that required a prolonged hospital stay. A delay in transmitting the fire alarm off campus to the fire department forced many students to perch on windowsills until the fire department arrived.

Prior to the deadly fire, 18 false alarms had plagued Boland Hall. After a six-month probe, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Seton Hall University $12,600 for the lack of a fire safety plan and two other citations.

Two months later, on March 19, three students were killed in a fraternity house fire on the campus of Bloomsburg (PA) University. In 1994, five Bloomsburg students were killed in a similar style of fraternity housing.

ON-CAMPUS RESIDENTIAL HOUSING

Student residential housing-whether a dormitory, a fraternity or a sorority house, or an off-campus structure-poses the main life safety threat on American campuses. These buildings are temporary homes for millions of college students. Over the past 34 years, more than 60 students have died in college residential fires.

Shortly after the Seton Hall University fire, a student reporter for the Washington University (MO) Student Life News newsletter interviewed the assistant director of buildings, who was quoted as saying, “Eliot Residence Hall (12 stories, built in 1964) is considered to be in compliance with safety standards and is allowed to stay open without sprinklers.” This statement is correct in accordance with the building codes applicable at the time of occupancy. But many college administrators erroneously believe that suppression is close behind because standpipes are in each stairwell. The impression is that the pipes are under constant pressure and all you have to do is turn on the hose and you have water. Operating a passive standpipe system during a fire requires that firefighters be shielded from the excessive heat and flames by donning turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus before charging down a hallway to extinguish a fire.

Washington University’s Eliot Residence Hall was scheduled for demolition in 1998. However, when the university unveiled plans for eight new buildings on campus on August 31, 2000, there was no mention of replacing Eliot Residence Hall.

Many colleges and universities have yet to develop a liaison with a fire safety expert, who can be valuable in helping the institutions address many of the complex fire protection issues that abound on a campus.

OFF-CAMPUS PRIVATE HOUSING

Off-campus private housing, other than fraternity/sorority buildings, is not included in college fire statistics, yet students also die in these structures. At Alfred University (NY), a student reportedly died, in May 2000, in an off-campus apartment fire.

As I wrote this article, a University of California (Berkeley) senior and her visiting parents were killed in an off-campus housing fire. Another student escaped by jumping from her bedroom window. When fire investigators sifted through the debris, they found no evidence of smoke detectors.

CAUSES OF RESIDENTIAL HOUSING FIRES

Self-assured college administrators who hide behind the position that the student residential building was compliant with the fire code when it was built should look at the tragic lessons learned that prompted the enactment of the Hotel/Motel Fire Safety Act. After a rash of tragic hotel fires killed hundreds of people, Congress enacted a law that “encouraged” that hotel and motel occupancies be retrofitted with sprinkler systems. Essentially, the federal government will not reimburse federal employees for hotel expenses if they stay in hotels/motels that do not comply with the above act. Colleges may find it helpful to network with other institutions to see how they are financing the voluntary installation of automatic sprinkler systems for their student residential buildings.

The major causes of fires affecting student housing are arson, cooking, electricity, candles, burning incense, and smoking. Alcohol also has been a factor in fatal fires.

Arson

Thrill-seeking students can cause harm and destruction by maliciously starting fires. A Florida State University student was charged with setting 18 fires on more than a dozen campus buildings. Three students from the University of Cincinnati (OH) were arrested for starting a fire in a dormitory with fireworks, necessitating the evacuation of 700 residents. At the University of Georgia, a student was arrested for allegedly repeatedly setting fire to his own door and claiming the fires were antigay hate crimes.

A Saint Joseph’s College (ME) student was arrested for setting a fire that gutted an RA’s room.

In Florida, a Chipola Junior College student poured gasoline around school buildings and shrubs, threatening to set them on fire.

Cooking

Often, cooking appliances-including hot plates, microwaves, toaster ovens, and electric frying pans-are misused in the dormitory room. A cooking fire destroyed a three-story, wood-frame dormitory that housed 11 student apartments at Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts.

Electricity

Electrical hazards such as space heaters, halogen lamps, electric blankets, televisions, hair dryers, and other appliances, as well as the extensive use of extension cords and power strips, have caused careless and electrical overload fires.

A student’s placing a shirt over a halogen lamp started a University of Massachusetts high-rise dormitory fire. An activated sprinkler head controlled the fire.

At Montclair (NJ) State University, an accidental fire in a desk lamp ignited a small fire on the desk. A sprinkler head activated and controlled the fire.

On August 29, 2000, a small electrical motor fire in the elevator shaft necessitated the evacuation of a 12-story dormitory at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater). After the alarms sounded at 01:12 a.m., the students safely evacuated the building. The 1966 high-rise dormitory had an automatic sprinkler system.

Candles and Incense

The practice of openly burning candles and incense in college housing units continues to rise. At Washington State University, a candle ignited a blanket in a fraternity house. Just before this fire, the fire department had responded to a fire started by a candle at another fraternity house.

A candle fire on the fourth floor of a six-story Clemson (SC) University dormitory damaged a room, and a fire started by a candle extensively damaged a Southern Illinois University dormitory.

A fire started by a candle in a Michigan State University dormitory damaged a stereo and a mattress.

Smoking

Even when there is a ban on smoking in housing units, careless smoking causes unnecessary damage and potential harm. At the University of Pittsburgh (PA), a student fell asleep while smoking, causing a clothing fire on the fourth floor of an eight-story dormitory. A single sprinkler head activated and controlled the fire. The careless discarding of a cigarette into a trashcan ignited a bed in an Ohio University dormitory.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Student apathy. Students, used to frequent pranks, tend to ignore fire alarms. Prior to the January 2000 Seton Hall University fire, of the 18 false alarms that had occurred in Boland Hall, none was transmitted off-campus to the fire department. Students were also slow to react to a Southern Illinois University dormitory candle fire because they had already been subjected to 103 false alarms during the school year. Not all of the fire alarms were malicious. Many were the result of system malfunctions that the school had not appropriately addressed.
Lack of student fire survival training. Generally, students are not prepared in how to survive a fire: what to do when dissimilar fire conditions occur and how to preplan the locations of exits, especially an alternate exit. These factors contribute to confusion in an emergency, when time is of the essence.
Combustible fire load. The average dormitory room has a significant combustible fire load. Belongings are crammed into a 9- 2 12-foot room shared by two students. The room contains common residential furnishings-wooden desks, chairs, rugs, bookcases, dressers, upholstered furniture, CDs, videotapes, computers, printers, telephone answering machines, TVs, stereo systems, microwaves, mini-refrigerators, fans, decorative wall materials such as posters and fabrics-the list can be infinite. Some rooms are so small that students create wooden bunk beds to increase living space by storing their belongings under the beds.

At the end of the 2000 spring term at the University of Vermont, there was so much rubbish in one student’s dormitory room that his father told him to shovel the material in large trash bags. Poor housekeeping increases the potential for an accidental fire and raises a communicable health concern.

Insufficient electrical supply. The average of two electrical wall outlets in a room is insufficient and below the electrical capacity needed for the number of electrical appliances found in students’ rooms. Students are forced to use at least four extension cords and several piggyback power strips to accommodate their electrical needs. In April 2000, an electrical fire damaged a Boston (MA) College three-story dormitory’s north wing. In the room of origin, three power strips were connected and plugged into a single electrical wall outlet-19 appliances were plugged into the three power strips.
Electrical wiring. Corridor ceiling space must not be used to run low-voltage cable wiring into rooms. In a fire condition, these wires become elastic. This distortion of low-voltage wiring will create entanglement and tripping hazards in a smoke-filled hallway.
Compromised fire protection systems. Vandalized and improperly maintained fire protection systems can inhibit early fire detection and the fire alarm’s warning system. Cans stuffed in standpipe outlets, individual disabled smoke detectors in residents’ rooms, damaged fire doors, sidewall sprinkler heads used as coat racks, and other malicious acts contribute to delays in fire alarm annunciation, controlling fire spread, and suppressing the fire.
Construction. Fire separations (slab-to-slab construction) need to be created to form fire compartments on each dormitory floor. Some schools have constructed the separations to just the underside of a suspended ceiling in the corridors. An undetected fire in a corridor plenum can consume the entire length of the floor hallway. When a flashover occurs in the plenum, it will blow out the ceiling panel, thus cutting off any safe means of evacuating the floor.

Sound floor compartmentation features must also include sealing all openings (pipes, electric wiring, and HVAC ducts) in the floors, walls, and ceilings with a fire-rated sealant. Glazing onto the corridor space and within fire doors plays an important role in containing fire. The broken glass must be replaced with fire-rated glazing, not transparent plastic panels. Dormitory floor-level, slab-to-slab firewalls and enhanced compartmentation features will give more time for evacuation and will create areas of refuge on each floor.

Improper use of 911. It should be stressed that this number is for emergencies only. In many cases, the campus telephone system requires that a single number be entered before accessing an outside telephone line (i.e., 8-911). Campus emergency preplans should include information on how to access an outside line in an emergency.

DORMITORY LIFE SAFETY SURVIVAL TACTICS

Pre-Emergency:Post the following on the back of each door in dormitories:

Fire evacuation plans-a floor diagram indicating the room’s location and the paths to the two exits off the floor.
The exterior designated meeting location for student accountability. Each dormitory should meet at a designated location away from the building. Where possible, post a reflective sign indicating the fire assembly point-Kenney Residence Hall, Fire Assembly Point, for example-or post a sign on a nearby building, designating it as the fire assembly point.
A campus map indicating the locations of the exterior fire assembly points for each residence hall.

During a Fire Emergency:On hearing a fire alarm, the first life safety survival tactic begins before opening the door. Instruct students to do the following:

Feel the top of the door with the back of the hand for heat. If it is not hot, open the door slowly while looking into the corridor at a level below the doorknob to avoid breathing in any smoke that may be present. If there is light smoke and no heat, crawl low to the exit and evacuate the building, counting the number of doors to the stairwell. Take your room key with you. If you encounter heavy smoke and heat in the stairwell, use the alternate stairs, or go back to your room and follow Steps A through D below.
After feeling for heat at the top of the door, feel the doorknob. If the doorknob is hot, do not open the door.

Stuff wet towels and clothing under the door. Continue sealing around the doorframe. If possible, continually wet the cloths.
Call 911. Give the exact location of the building-floor level and room number-and the number of people in the room.
Wave a white towel or clothing out the window to signal for attention.
If light smoke comes into the room, open double-hung windows six inches from the top and bottom. Breathe air from the bottom of the window. If the window is of the crank-out or slide type, open it a few inches. Do not break the glass. Fire and smoke from a fire below may enter the room.

Know the locations of the nearest exit (stairwell) and the alternate exit from your room.
Count the number of corridor doors to the exits to the left and right of your room, to assist you in locating the stairwells if and when you encounter smoke as you crawl low in the corridors.
After evacuating the building, report to your designated area for an accountability check by the RA.

SURVIAL TACTICS: FRATERNITY/SORORITY AND OFF-CAMPUS PRIVATE HOUSING

Students in these buildings should be instructed to do the following: Survey the exterior of the building by walking around the four sides. Locate windows above the ground floor, particularly your bedroom window. Look for a fire escape and a lower roof that can assist in your escape. If none is present, buy a chain ladder (folds up like an accordion) that can be attached to the windowsill and easily stored under your bed.

If a local municipal ordinance or college policy presently does not address fire protection for fraternity/sorority housing, each floor level must have a smoke detector installed in the hallway and in large open spaces. Each individual sleeping room should have a smoke detector. If a basement is present, a smoke detector should be at the top of the stairs. In many of these private dwellings, an open stairwell will contribute to the spread of smoke, heat, and flame; therefore, all doors must be kept closed. A portable fire extinguisher should be installed in the kitchen and the laundry area.

For additional fire safety tips on off-campus housing, review home fire safety practices on the Web at www.fema.usfa.gov.

ROLE OF RA AND STUDENT FIRE WARDEN

Students are responsible for fire protection in the housing facilities. Appointing and training RAs and floor fire wardens can help to save lives in an emergency. RAs must be trained annually in fire safety, especially in the rapid deterioration of fire conditions. (The National Fire Protection Association film Fire: Countdown to Disaster is an effective training aid for this purpose.) Areas of instruction should include how to evacuate the floor in a timely manner, how to account for students in an emergency, and how to establish and enforce the use of exterior fire assembly points. The local fire department or fire academy can provide this training along with instructions on the limited use of a fire extinguisher.

Each dormitory should designate a lead RA. The lead RA should be equipped with a portable communication radio or mobile telephone with a radio communications capability so that the RA can communicate directly with the campus fire department or security control center. Each RA should have a reflective vest that identifies the dormitory for which he is responsible (Kenney Hall-2nd Floor, for example). This identification will enable students to spot the RA easily outside the building and will assist the fireground incident commander with the accountability function.

FLOOR FIRE WARDENS

Having a designated student fire warden on each floor can be valuable. In dormitories, the fire warden can assist the RA by checking the stairway to see if it is clear of smoke and, if necessary, directing students to the alternate stairs; reminding students to close doors; and telling them to meet at the designated exterior fire assembly point for the dormitory.

Each student fire warden should be provided with a flashlight and a baseball cap with the words “Fire Warden” readily visible. The RAs and the fire wardens can establish a buddy system to assist in the evacuation of physically challenged students. Two students and two alternates should be assigned to assist those who may need help in evacuating. The local fire department can help to coordinate physical evacuation procedures and identify areas of refuge.

Pennsylvania State University created a Student Fire Safety Commission in 1986 to assist in promoting fire safety for student housing. A key component is conducting monthly fire drills for each dormitory. The campus is divided into fire sectors; a student area supervisor assists with the fire drills. Students are motivated to participate in the fire drills.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS

State legislators have enacted various laws to protect student housing.

In the state of Washington, sprinklers are required by law to be installed in educational facilities constructed or extensively renovated after July 1972.
The State of Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation requiring sprinklers to be installed in high-rise dormitories by the year 2006. The bill would also require that all dormitories-regardless of height-constructed in the future be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system. The bill is awaiting action in the Senate.
The governor of Massachusetts has proposed legislation that would have all public colleges and universities retrofitted with an automatic sprinkler system. The bill is awaiting action in the Assembly.
The State of New York Governor’s Task Force on Campus Fire Safety has recommended fire sprinklers for new construction and a phased retrofit for all campus residential housing.

Reactionary Legislation

After the Seton Hall University fire, the New Jersey state legislature passed a sprinkler retrofit requirement that installation be completed within four years. On-campus residential housing as well as private fraternity and sorority housing are included. The new law will provide $90 million in low- and no-interest loans to private and public colleges as well as private high school dormitories.

After the two fires at Pennsylvania’s Bloomsburg University fraternity houses, state legislators passed a sprinkler retrofit law that stipulated compliance within five years. The legislation covered only on-campus residential housing. A local ordinance requiring a sprinkler system in privately owned fraternity housing was enacted.

After the fire that caused five deaths at the University of North Carolina, legislators granted Chapel Hill town authorities permission to enact a sprinkler law requiring fraternity/sorority housing to comply with the installation of an automatic sprinkler system within five years. On-campus residential buildings were not included in this legislation.

VOLUNTARY INSTALLATION

Of the 13 on-campus student housing facilities at Salve Regina University (SRU) in Rhode Island, eight residential buildings-constructed between 1852 and 1925-fall under the National Register of Historic Places. SRU has voluntarily retrofitted the historical buildings and other student dormitories with an automatic sprinkler system. There is no fraternity and sorority housing at this university.

Since 1989, the University of New Hampshire has installed automatic sprinkler systems in more than 40 dormitories. It is now considering doing the same in married student housing. A local ordinance addressed sprinkler installation for fraternity and sorority housing in the early 1990s.

Of the 19 dormitories at Clemson (SC) University, seven are fully sprinklered. The remaining dormitories are partially sprinklered; they are to be upgraded to a full automatic sprinkler system.

Kappa Kappa Gamma, an Oklahoma University (Norman Campus) sorority, has voluntarily installed an automatic sprinkler system.

Fires in residential buildings protected with fire detection and automatic sprinkler systems become “nonevents.” Soon after the Seton Hall University fire, two fires in residential housing on the campus of nearby Montclair State University were quickly controlled with a single activated sprinkler head, and all students were safely evacuated. Similar situations have occurred on other campuses across the nation. They go unnoticed, as they should. The turnaround time for reoccupying buildings protected with automatic sprinkler systems is much shorter, and property damage is drastically reduced.

New fire sprinkler installations cost between $2 and $3.50 a square foot. The average cost of retrofitting a building with a sprinkler system is between $3 and $7. The cost is higher when asbestos is present.

Installing fire protection systems lightens the burden on college administrators seeking alternative facility resolutions, assists in expediting the return to a normal academic setting, and reassures parents that their children are housed in a safer fire environment.

FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION

American campuses have a responsibility to provide a fire-safe environment. Fire safety education should start with freshman orientation and develop into a comprehensive education program as the students progress toward graduation day. This cycle must begin anew with each new freshman class and transfer student. Free fire safety material is available from the United States Fire Administration. The video Get Out and Stay Alive-Student Housing Survival can assist the students in acquiring fire survival tactics. Following are some suggestions for implementing fire safety education:

Create an interactive campus Web site on fire safety. Empower the students to seek fire prevention information, to ask questions about fire safety, and to report to the campus administration any student housing fire hazards.
Formulate a student/faculty partnership on campus fire safety to aid in seeking solutions to the many fire safety issues that may arise in a living environment.
College administrators can enhance their own fire safety education by becoming involved with a new network tool called “Campus Firewatch.” This new Web site focuses specifically on national fire safety issues for colleges and universities. This Web site provides the college administrator with breaking news, information on fire safety topics, interviews with housing and college administrators and fire safety experts, and model legislation for fire protection systems.

ROLE OF FIRE PROTECTION ON CAMPUS

A fire safety presence, whether in the form of a fire department on larger campuses or a dedicated fire safety specialist (FSS), is more essential today that ever before.

College and University Fire Departments

Only a handful of American colleges and universities have fire departments. The University of New Mexico (UNM) formulated an agreement with the Albuquerque Fire Department to provide fire service on the university campus. The school constructed a fire station on university grounds and leases the land for $1 a year. The fire station houses an engine, a ladder, heavy rescue companies, and paramedic services.

The University of Massachusetts (U Mass), Amherst College, and Hampshire College make up a large supplemental population for the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. To help augment the career Amherst Fire Department, eight live-in students staff a volunteer fire station near the campus of U Mass. The 24/7 student auxiliary force complements the career and paid-on call fire service staff. The three dedicated fire safety specialists from the colleges are also fire officers with the paid on-call department. Since 1953, the colleges have had fire protection services available within the campuses.

For nearly 140 years, the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, has been serviced by its own fire department. Today, full-time firefighters and paramedics staff the fire department. The university fire department, with three platoons of four firefighters and one full-time fire alarm technician, watch more than 135 campus buildings. All fire alarms are transmitted to the fire station. Mutual aid is provided by the South Bend (IN) Fire Department.

St. Michael’s, a small private college in Vermont with a student population of 8,000, has a group of students who volunteer for the campus fire department and rescue unit. Each student volunteer firefighter receives more than 70 hours of firematic training; EMS technicians receive 100 hours of basic EMT-B and 60 hours of EMT-I training through the Vermont Emergency Services District 3. In 1999, the college rescue unit responded to more than 1,900 EMS calls on campus and within the surrounding rural counties.

Several other colleges and universities have a private or a public fire department servicing their campuses. They include the University of California at Davis, Washington State University, the University of Alaska, Stanford University (CA), Rutgers University (NJ), and the University of Maryland.

Dedicated Fire Safety Officer

Over the past 34 years, an average of 1.79 students have died in residential housing each year. The presence of a dedicated FSS on campus can greatly reduce the fire risk not only in residence halls but on the campus at-large.

The FSS can attend to the numerous fire safety issues related to the buildings on campus: fire protection systems (fire alarm and detection systems, dry/wet chemical extinguishing systems, sprinkler and standpipe systems, portable fire extinguishers, fire pumps, and water supply); means of egress components (fire doors, stairs, and paths of travel); compartmentation issues (confine the spread of fire by dissecting the building into boxes); construction projects (fire/building code interpretations); hazardous materials (laboratories, maintenance, and power stations); campus fire preplans; emergency response team; and fire safety education (prevention, life safety, and survival tactics) for faculty, support staff, and students. The FSS can also serve as a liaison between the college risk management department and the insurance carriers’/loss prevention (annual surveys), architects/engineers, the local fire department, and the various other safety agencies.

Constant attention must be paid to fire safety inspections of facilities and safety practices. American campuses cannot rely on an annual insurance/loss prevention survey as a means of satisfying a sound fire inspection. The local fire department inspections can be supplemented by three quarterly campus fire inspections. Imminent hazards such as malfunctioning fire protection systems, broken fire doors, an exterior fire escape’s pulling away from an old building, broken handrails, and the like, must be addressed immediately, since they can hinder a safe evacuation.

Smaller colleges can seek a cooperative arrangement with other nearby institutions to share the services of an FSS. College and universities cannot rely on the security director to perform both security and fire safety job functions well. Rarely do the career paths of the two fields cross over. When seeking a candidate for a security director, institutions will seek an individual with a solid background in the criminal justice system. When seeking an individual to perform the numerous fire code and safety issues that arise daily within this temporary community, the candidate should have expertise in fire codes and fire safety and protection.

Establish an Emergency On-Campus Management Team

During the Malibu foothills fire in California in October 1996, more than 850 undeveloped acres of the Pepperdine University campus became engulfed. There were no injuries and no reported property damage. This was the third wildland fire to hit the campus in 15 years.

The university has adopted an Emergency Operations Center Team (EOCT), which is activated to assist the campus fire department to ascertain when and where it is safe to evacuate the campus.

The EOCT can facilitate any number of emergencies that may arise on a campus, including mass-casualty incidents and natural and manmade disasters, such as weather storms, electrical outages, water shortage, and hostage situations, in addition to fire. Each facility should determine the type of natural disaster that might affect its area and preplan for each. The Web site presents information on how to prepare for natural emergencies.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENHANCE FIRE SAFETY

Student Housing

A national focus similar to that evidenced in the federal Hotel/Motel Fire Safety Act is needed to address the more than 70 percent on-campus residences not protected with an automatic sprinkler system. This legislation must include fraternity/sorority housing.
More colleges should take a proactive initiative and voluntarily install sprinkler systems.
Enact in the administrative student housing policy a zero tolerance for malicious fire alarms. The local fire department should enforce sanctions for such infractions.
Empower students to be fire wardens on each dormitory floor; they should monitor as well as report fire safety hazards.
Provide residence hall assistants and fire wardens with annual fire safety training.
Along with a floor diagram, post Life Safety Survival Tactics on the back of the door of each student’s room.
Conduct unannounced evening fire drills. Create conditions that would simulate a stair tower filled with smoke or an untenable hallway.
Increase the number of electrical wall outlets and electric power for each student residential room from two standard double-wall outlets to four quad outlets, one on each side of the room where the beds are located and two along the walls near the desks. The electrical load in student rooms has drastically increased beyond the two-outlet capacity.
Make sure that all window screens and security gates installed on a dormitory window are operable from the inside.
Install near each dormitory exit door a self-illuminant EXIT sign, 12 inches above floor level. This will help occupants crawling low in smoke to locate the stairwell door.
Install a red or blue light and cage at least six feet above all exterior fire department building connections to assist the firefighters in locating the connections quickly. Post a reflective sign that describes the building fire department connection above each connection. Lettering should be at least two inches-“SPRINKER/ STANDPIPE SYSTEM,” for example.

Provide a two-way voice communication system within the fire alarm system of each dormitory that has four or more stories. This will enable the fire department to communicate with occupants during an emergency.
Secure in the 24/7 campus fire department or the security control center building preplan information such as blueprints, fire protection equipment, material safety data sheets, master building keys, and laboratory contents.
Fraternities/sororities should have a designated fire watch person to monitor guests when hosting a party. If smoking is permitted, have plenty of deep ashtrays available, and check them often. Check under and around cushions and other upholstery for smoldering butts, and dispose of all cigarette ashes in an exterior metal container before leaving or going to sleep.
Participate in the new on-line fire safety network .
In selecting off-campus student housing, colleges should enter into an agreement with the local fire department and real estate agencies that will ensure that a rental space is inspected for fire code compliance before a student occupies it.
Fire codes need to further evaluate compartmentation features so that dormitories will have areas of refuge similar to those in in-patient healthcare facilities.
Conduct quarterly fire inspections.
Network with the local fire department on fire safety-related matters. Fire Safety Education. Fire protection systems and a strong campus fire safety education program are the best methods for decreasing the fire hazards on a campus. Student participation helps to ensure the effectiveness of a campus fire safety program. Students can help to implement fire safety policies and to create a fire safety intranet Web site for the school. College administrators should network with other schools and fire safety experts to increase their awareness of current fire safety issues and new technologies that can better service their campus.

Dedicated Fire Safety Presence

The Wallace Building at Salve Regina University, which served as a carriage house in 1870, was converted into a student dormitory. Shown is the fire department sprinkler connection. (Photo by Carol Cerborino)

Large colleges and universities (10,000 population or greater) and those schools that drastically increase the population of a local municipality ought to seek an agreement with the fire department to provide additional fire and paramedic services for the campus and the community. If no campus fire department is present, a dedicated FSS then must become an essential part of the college administration.

CHALLENGES FOR THE FIRE SERVICE AND CAMPUSES

Fire detection and alarm systems as well as automatic sprinkler systems are essential for achieving fire safety on college and university campuses. However, they are only part of the solution. An all-inclusive fire safety education program must be instituted for all who share the campus life: students, faculty, and support staff. Each plays a key role in preventing campus fires.

College and university administrators need to be constantly reminded of the 73 students who died in fire and other emergency incidents. For the past century and beyond, the fire service has learned all too well that many fire codes implemented after tragic fires are reactionary patches developed to quell public uprising. Fire departments across the country have been steadfast in playing a proactive role and extending a hand to the American campuses to create a more fire-safe campus.

As part of an American Campus Fire Safety Program, fire departments are encouraged to form a partnership with college campuses and to communicate a “Voluntary Fire Safety Action Plan” to promote a safer environment on our campuses. n

This article is dedicated to all the college and university students who lost their lives on our American campuses. A special “thank you” to the Seton Hall University students and the understaffed South Orange (NJ) firefighters, whose valiant efforts saved many lives.

JACK J. MURPHY, fire marshal (ret.) and former deputy chief of the Leonia (NJ) Fire Department, has a master’s degree in education and several undergraduate degrees, including those in industrial technology and fire science. Murphy is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering and coordinator for classroom education for the FDIC, is vice-chairman of the New York City Fire Safety Directors Association, and was the charter president of the Bergen County (NJ) Fire Chiefs Association. He is the author of RICS/Rapid Incident Command System (Fire Engineering, 1998).

The Value of a Campus Fire Safety Specialist

VINCENT J. LEONARD-In 1892, the University of New Mexico (UNM) opened its first college with a single building, which housed the administration, classrooms, a library, and 109 students. The UNM today has 25,000 students and 5,000 faculty and staff members on the main campus and four satellite campuses throughout the state. Over the years, the university has added more than 250 facilities to the original building that now serves as a museum. The UNM has 27 colleges ranging from the arts to nuclear engineering and also houses a regional hospital and a medical college. The UNM has six dormitories, 14 single student apartments, and 200 married student apartments and is now constructing a new apartment complex that will house 400 students.

The city of Albuquerque had jurisdiction over the campus and conducted occasional fire safety inspections for several decades. The State Fire Marshal Office (SFMO) reviewed new construction plans but did not have full-time personnel on to oversee UNM projects. In 1994, the University Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs Department created the position of fire safety specialist (FSS), whose job it was to develop and implement a fire safety program.

At the time, the fire inspections were conducted by the SFMO every two to three years. Local contractors inspected each building’s fire protection system annually. The Maintenance Department inspected fire extinguishers and exit/emergency lighting on campus. The Departments of Facility Planning and Parking Services controlled the design and marking of designated fire lanes. The FSS’s job was to pull all the resources together under one program.

The benefits of having a full-time FSS on the campus include the following:

There is on-campus a full-time individual who understands the fire protection needs.
This individual knows each building and can preplan the facility for an emergency response.
The FSS can respond to fire safety calls concerning everything from extension cords to on-site support for architects and engineers during construction projects.

Many universities have the Maintenance Department, the campus police, or another department oversee the fire safety program, which makes fire safety a part-time job. Security and maintenance personnel have their primary duties to consider. It’s not that safety isn’t important to them, but fire safety is a full-time endeavor.

Since the UNM fire safety program was essentially undeveloped in 1994, the first job was to establish policies. We developed a policy that complied with National Fire Protection Association 1, Fire Prevention Code. The document was written in cooperation with the university and took into account its very diverse population and the university’s specific and diverse hazards. All other programs and policies would complement this document.

Taking the time to explain the intent of and reasoning behind the fire codes is a key factor. The FSS becomes familiar with every corner of the campus and can identify all hazards and determine how they may relate to other situations and potential dangers. Developing a working relationship with the campus maintenance, security, purchasing, and custodial departments makes it easier to develop fire safety policy and achieve fire code compliance.

The UNM now has the FSS review all plans for new construction and alterations before they are put out to bid. The benefit of doing this is that it is possible to include in the plans considerations that have come to light as a result of the FSS’s extensive knowledge of the campus, the infrastructure, and the university’s needs-considerations of which city and state officials may not be aware.

Also, a new fire lane was created, and a vehicle access project was initiated. The project included identifying numerous areas of the campus in which emergency vehicles would have difficulty reaching fire hydrants, exterior fire department building connections, and the structure itself. Not being able to get close to a building can hinder fire department ladder truck operations. The FSS, working closely with the architectural, water, landscaping, engineering, and parking departments, initiated and implemented a plan for improving access for emergency vehicles.

Fire inspections are a critical part of any fire safety program. The UNM has initiated a building inspection program in which the FSS looks at all campus buildings. Having an FSS on site provides real-time inspection-the reporting of hazardous conditions and then follow-up by an inspector who knows the building’s history. The best fire inspector is one who knows the building, the fire protection systems, the emergency access situation, fire hazards, and response conditions. Correction of building fire hazards and deficiencies that could hinder fire suppression, fire detection, or safe evacuation is expedited through the Maintenance Department or an appropriate contractor. There is no substitute for having a full-time fire safety staff on a college or university campus.

Note: A new student apartment building being built on the UNM campus incorporates a variance to NFPA 13, Standard for Installation of Sprinkler Systems, and 101, Standard on Safety to Life from Fire in Buildings and Structures. The UNM continues to improve fire safety by including the best possible support as liaisons and consultants to the university community, the city emergency responders, and the state fire marshal. This improvement can be seen in the new student apartment complex, which includes full residential sprinklers alarmed to a 24-hour central station staffed by a trained attendant. Smoke detection will be installed in all bedrooms and living areas of each suite. The activation of any one detector in a suite will initiate all detector alarms within the suite. The corridor fire alarm pull stations have been replaced with pushbutton emergency call stations.

This permits interactive reporting of an emergency while at the same time preventing false alarms. A student cannot activate a manual pull station as a prank. The call station initiates a time delay at the attended location. The student housing resident advisors (RAs) have three minutes to respond and confirm that there is a fire or a false alarm. In case the RA does not report back in three minutes, the fire alarms automatically activate in the entire dormitory. This time allotment is backed up by the sprinkler system, which, of course. will activate the alarms when discharge occurs. The concept is that a smoke detector will alarm the occupants in the suite. This gives the students time to evacuate and transmit the fire at the call stations or the front desk.

Fire extinguishers are available to extinguish the fire prior to sprinkler activation. Should the extinguishers not be sufficient or should the occupant choose not to use them, the call station initiates a sequence of events. The desk will have as many RAs as needed investigate the call and. if necessary, evacuate the building. Should there be a delay in the RA report or if an RA is not available, the desk will remotely initiate the fire alarm.

If the fire extends to the point that the sprinklers activate, the alarms will go off automatically. The FSS trains all housing staff and RAs in emergency response procedures. This is another benefit of having a full-time FSS. The FSS has an intricate knowledge of the procedures that should be followed, the condition of the fire alarm and suppression systems, the hazards associated with the buildings, and the abilities of the personnel who will respond to a fire call.

Another aspect of the UNM’s program is the fire department. The UNM has entered into a mutual-response agreement with the Albuquerque Fire Department (AFD). The AFD has 512 firefighters staffing 19 fire stations. In this unique partnership, the UNM would provide the land on campus and the AFD would provide the building and firefighting and paramedic services. The fire station has a two- to three-minute response anywhere on campus. If the campus fire companies are on another call, several other fire stations within three miles can respond to the initial call. The FSS coordinates the response with the AFD. Cooperative fire safety programs with the AFD include conducting building preplanning tours and coordinating fire service exercises such as confined space rescue, haz-mat response, and high-angle rescue training. An added benefit of being a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee is that the FSS keeps informed of the fire department and city’s response capabilities and informs the city of information about the university that would help expedite an emergency response.

The UNM continually strives to improve fire safety at all facilities. The most difficult hurdle for accomplishing this is funding. Bringing a campus into fire code compliance or just maintaining the facilities and fire protection systems requires significant administrative support from a limited funding pool. The keys to getting more funds are detailed fire protection information, justifiable fire safety programs, and lessons learned from other fires. These key components relate directly to the university and the presence of a qualified FSS to oversee fire protection on a regular basis. The result of having a full-time FSS and a full-time fire department capability on campus is having a dedicated emergency response capability within the campus. The combination of an FSS and a fire department presence on campus is a win-win situation for any college or university.

VINCENT J. LEONARD is the fire safety specialist at the University of New Mexico, where he is responsible for all aspects of fire safety from inspections to plans review for construction to fire investigation to emergency response coordination. He has been in the field of fire protection for 25 years and spent 21 of those years with the U.S. Air Force. He is certified in hazardous materials response, confined space rescue, incident command, high angle rescue, emergency medical technician, crash firefighter, fire/arson investigation, instruction, and training. Leonard is designated agent for the state fire marshal and has an associate’s degree in fire science and a bachelor’s degree in education.