Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
NewsTuesday, August 14, 2007 8:38 PM CDT
Comments Comments (0) | E-mail this page E-mail this page | Print this page Print this page | Enlarge type Enlarge type | Reduce type Reduce type | Search archives Search archives | RSS RSS feeds | Add to My Yahoo! Add to My Yahoo!
Safety programs aim to avoid fatal fires at ISU, IWU
By Greg Cima
gcima@pantagraph.com
Advertisement

NORMAL — Not all college students are receptive to fire safety presentations, but planning and a few precautions can save their lives, a fire department spokesman said.

“Really, 2 o’clock in the morning, when a smoke detector is going off, is not the time to be taking the shrink-wrap off of your escape ladder,” said Craig Fata of the Normal Fire Department in the wake of a Bradley University student’s death in a fire Sunday.

And Illinois State University officials try to educate students about fire prevention and safety while they live in dormitories. The students are required to live on campus for their first two years.

“We have an extensive (fire education) program for students living on campus,” ISU spokesman Jay Groves said. “We hope they take that education with them when they live off campus.”

An October housing fair covers health and safety issues such as fire safety and prevention, Groves said. He didn’t recall any fires on or off-campus that injured or killed ISU students.

A spokeswoman for Illinois Wesleyan University said late Monday afternoon students do receive fire safety information, but details weren’t immediately available.

There is often potential for a fire in college environments when alcohol and cigarettes are mixed, said Fata, public education officer and fire inspector for Normal Fire Department. Guests will sometimes throw cigarette butts in garbage cans that aren’t checked by the hosts before they go to sleep, he said.

Many college students are also inexperienced at cooking, leaving greater potential for cooking fires, Fata said. And dirty filters on dryers and clogged vent pipes can lead to lint fires, he said.

Fata said students need to remember to replace the batteries in smoke detectors twice annually, and to remember it’s worth a few dollars to replace batteries on their own if a landlord is slow to do so.

Normal Fire Department puts on presentations for some of the larger group homes, such as fraternity and sorority houses, Fata said. Those include fire drills and instruction how to escape if there is a fire.

Video
Most commented stories
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 0 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.
Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?
 
Lee Enterprises Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy