Wednesday, January 30, 2008 11:22 PM CST
Fire department holds pilot class for national campus fire safety program
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON — The Charleston Fire and Rescue Department knows the deadly threat fire can pose to Eastern Illinois University students.
Speaking to a class of EIU students Monday, Fire Chief Kris Phipps said firefighters pulled three dead students out of the basement of a Fourth Street house that was destroyed by fire on Oct. 7, 1979.
“We don’t want to put people in body bags. We don’t want to pull people out of basements ever again,” Phipps said, his voice quivering.
Phipps said that is why the department has signed up to present a pilot program for a nationwide fire safety campaign for college students and high school seniors. The campaign is being sponsored by the People’s Burn Foundation, in association with Campus Fire Watch.
Charleston firefighters presented the “To Hell and Back, The College Years” program at Blair Hall and sought the students’ input. The program included a short film about friends whose lives are torn apart by a fire at a college house party. Two young women die in the film, and a third is injured.
The film’s narrator revealed the fire was caused by a lit cigarette falling into a box of papers upstairs and being forgotten. He said the initial smoke was easy to miss due to the cigarette smoke, alcohol and other distractions at the party. He said the house’s smoke detectors did not sound because they they had been disabled prior to the party.
Viewers were encouraged to be aware of fire hazards, such as candles near flammable objects, and to be aware of all nearby exits in case of an emergency. A second film focused on two students who were severely burned during a Jan. 19, 2000, fire in a Seton Hall University dormitory.
The fire chief then sought input from the students and shared additional safety tips. Some of the students suggested that the program focus on the dangers of cigarettes falling onto other flammable objects, such as furniture, or the hazards posed by aging appliances and outlets.
Phipps suggested the students designate someone to take out the trash, and any hidden smoldering cigarettes, after a party. He said they should also designate someone to comb over furniture for discarded cigarettes.
Student Brittni Garcia said afterwards that the fire safety program opened her eyes to real life situations that could happen to her.
“Prior to the video I never looked for two ways out of a house or building that could possibly be beneficial in a life threatening situation,” Garcia said. “I think this program is great for universities to offer to all students in different class levels. It’s beneficial and it gets the message across in a comfortable way for college students.”
The pilot program was presented to professor Bill Lovekamp’s sociology of disasters class, with additional students from one of professor Wanda Brandon’s journalism classes in attendance.
Lovekamp said his students would like the fire safety program to be localized to the unique aspects of each campus and surrounding community. They also suggested the program be mandated viewing for all incoming students, including transfer students.
Phipps said he will forward the students’ evaluations and the results of fire safety tests they took to the People’s Burn Foundation. He said the foundation should release the final product for the fire safety campaign in April.
“I was very pleased with it. It gave me a lot of good feedback,” Phipps said of the pilot program. “Personally, I would like to do what those kids suggested.”
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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