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| Where's the Fire? |
| by Amy Milshtein |
As part of the newly revised Higher Education Act, the Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act now requires colleges to report fire safety information to the U.S. Department of Education. While most schools keep exhaustive fire safety records already, this new level of reporting promises to bring the information under a national umbrella, making it easier for everyone to gauge their safety records. But will this added layer of reporting bring big change and added costs?
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As part of the newly revised Higher Education Act, the Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act now requires colleges to report fire safety information to the U.S. Department of Education. While most schools keep exhaustive fire safety records already, this new level of reporting promises to bring the information under a national umbrella, making it easier for everyone to gauge their safety records. But will this added layer of reporting bring big change and added costs?
“Probably not,” answered Mike Halligan, assistant director, fire prevention, Environmental Health & Safety for the University of Utah. “Most schools are collecting and reporting this information already either for their own insurance records or to comply with their state’s rules, or both. While we are still not sure how the Federal Government will gather or present the data, we imagine that it will involve a simple template and an easy electronic transfer — no more than one or two hours of extra work.”
The legislation hopes to bring some good out of tragic events of the past. On January 19, 2000, a prank went horribly wrong in Seton Hall University’s Boland Hall in South Orange, NJ. A fire set by two students at 4:30 A.M. quickly spread out of control and reached temperatures of 1500°F in under five minutes. Because of the early hour, coupled with several previous months of false fire alarms, most students either slept through or ignored the alarm. The results were devastating: Fifty-eight students and firefighters were injured and three students died.
In the aftermath, New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell and Senator Frank Lautenberg sponsored the Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act, which was folded into the Higher Education Act signed by then-President George Bush in August. As it is still in its infancy, Halligan is not sure what kind of information the Federal Government will require or how it will be presented. “That’s the great unknown,” he admitted. But he has a good idea what may be required.
Safety in Numbers
“They will certainly want to know the number of alarms that went off and if they were actual fires or false alarms,” said Halligan. “After that, it remains to be seen if they would also want to quantify what kind of fire it was, like a structure fire or a car fire, for instance. They also may require schools to collect other data, like a conditions assessment of the campus’s fire safety features.”
In preparation for this onslaught of information, The Center for Campus Fire Safety has prepared a four-page form that details every aspect of the incident. The extensive form covers incident type and incident location, along with information on the kind of detectors and sprinklers a school might have in place. The form also devotes space to the incident’s origin and cause. As of today, this information can be uploaded to the Center’s Website, CampusFireData.org.
An Eye on the Goal
What is the ultimate goal of this project?
“Ultimately it will lead to safer schools,” predicted Halligan. “No school wants to be at the bottom of a national ranking for fire safety because students and their parents will now have easy access to that data.”
Halligan insists that the information gathered up until now has already impacted school safety. “Fifteen years ago no one put sprinklers into residence halls,” he said. “After the Seton Hall fire, everyone puts them in. With a national database schools can log on, see where they stand, and have a good idea of what needs to be addressed.”
For instance, a school may have sprinklers in place but not enough fire training for their resident advisors. Or a school may decide to increase the number of fire drills they perform per semester. Or a school may not yet have the sprinklers and can perhaps apply for a federal grant to install them. Schools may even get creative. “I’ve heard reports of some campuses bringing in local celebrity chefs to teach the students how to safely cook a basic meal in the dorm kitchen,” said Halligan. “The opportunity for safety and growth are endless.”
With an average of 1,800 campus fires a year for the last 10 years, one thing is certain: fire and its dangers are not going away. But better information, technology, and training can make a difference. “Schools are doing better already,” concluded Halligan.
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| Source: CP&M , February 2009 |
Copyright 2010, Peter Li, Inc. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, redisseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Peter Li, Inc. |
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