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U.S. Congress passes college residence hall fire safety laws
Alyssa Montalbano, Collegian Correspondent
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
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In 2000, three freshmen were killed in a residence hall arson fire at Seton Hall University. Shortly following the tragedy, The College Opportunity and Affordability Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and earlier this month on Feb. 7.
The legislation contains two major elements regarding fire safety on campuses nationwide. The first requires colleges and universities to report fire safety information, including fire frequency, fire-related deaths and injuries, percentage of residence halls protected by sprinklers and alarms and fire safety policies.
The second element involves providing schools with the ability to apply for grants to fund automatic fire sprinklers and fire alarms, as well as other systems.
The legislation mandates that the statistics be reported to the Secretary of Education and will become a public record.
In 2007, the University of Massachusetts, along with Boston University, Butler University, Gordon College and Wesleyan College participated in focus groups for a study commissioned by the People's Burn Foundation of Indiana and Campus Firewatch, a monthly electronic newsletter focusing on campus fire safety, located in Belchertown, Mass. The study found that the 2006-2007 academic year was one of the most fatal. There were 20 campus-related fire deaths identified by Campus Firewatch.
The study asked 402 students, "What steps are you supposed to do if you have a fire in your room?" Ninety-eight of the students responded with the answer "Don't Know".
UMass alumnus Ed Comeau, Publisher of Campus Firewatch and previously the chief fire investigator for the National Fire Protection Association, was closely involved with the legislation's creation. Comeau began his fire safety career as a member of the Amherst Fire Department Student Force.
Informing parents and students about the levels of fire safety on campus is one of the legislation's main components. It will provide information about which schools are excelling in the involvement of students in fire safety programs, along with those which are not.
"It will serve as an incentive for other schools to upgrade their protection on campus and to implement fire safety education programs," Comeau said.
Campus Safety and Fire Prevention Services Supervisor Mike Swain, also the volunteer director for the Center for Campus Fire Safety explains the preparation that UMass takes pertaining to fire safety.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
John Crust
posted 2/26/08 @ 9:38 AM EST
This appears to be a step in the right direction although defining what constitutes a fire may be difficult (burnt toast in a toaster for example).
In Britain there is legislation which covers fire safety. (Continued…)
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