Campus Firewatch

August 2000 Issue

©2000 Campus Firewatch

The Aftermath-Part II

This is the conclusion of a two-part article that first appeared in the
July issue of Campus Firewatch. The article addresses how Bloomsburg
University dealt with the events following the tragic fire that killed
three students in March of this year.

Internal Communications

Just as important as it was to provide information to the media, it was
equally as important to provide information to the campus community.

Over the years, Bloomsburg has had to deal with a number of different
emergencies. "Because of the number of situations where they have had to
deal with these unfortunate situations, we had developed the ability to
deal with this particular tragedy," said Sowash.

Some of the procedures that they have developed include providing
accurate information to the students. Several years ago, they had
several rapes on campus and there was a lot of misinformation
circulating, which created difficulties in trying to determine the scope
of the problem. As a result, they developed a system to communicate with
the students.

There are bulletin boards in all of the classrooms and on the front
doors of all the buildings on campus where information is posted. "UNN
stands for University News Network. It came out when CNN was taking off,
so we adopted it," stated Sowash. The paper that is used for UNN
announcements is a distinctive color, and the content "is extremely
factual."

Another communications mechanism used is email, as well as a safety
telephone hotline. The extension is 2723, or BSAF, which stands for "Be
Safe." If there is no news, there is a recorded safety message.

On the day following the March fire, a campus-wide meeting with all of
the students was organized. It was held in a large auditorium and the
notices went out via email and the UNN notifying everyone that classes
were suspended and that the meeting was going to take place. "It was
important to bring the campus community together," said Herring.

Staff Support

Throughout the incident, the staff was continually asking each other if
they had covered all of the bases. "We were using each other as sounding
boards," reported Sowash. They would rotate who came in early and who
had to stay late.

There was a certain amount of emotional drain on the staff dealing with
the incident. For example, when it came time for the memorial services
and the funerals, the staff was concerned whether they should attend all
of them, because there were going to be many services. Sowash summed it
up by saying that "you can't go to all of them, especially when you are
dealing with your own emotions. The more you try to do it all, and go to
it all, you lose the stamina to deal with it and you get stressed and
anxious. It is important to take care of yourself if you are in one of
the command centers."

One of the difficult aspects of the aftermath was to realize that for
the rest of the campus, life goes on as usual, said Kresch. "Some other
parts of campus aren't dealing with this and they call up to ask the
mundane questions, and you want to jump down their throats...they are
calling for business as usual."..."The people on campus don't make the
connection that residence life is dealing with all of these issues,"
added Sowash. "They see the president, vice president or media
spokesperson and they don't always look at the people behind the
scenes."

Herring echoed this sentiment. "One thing we would do better is to keep
more of the staff in the loop. It would be better to keep everyone
advised so if they got a call they would have updated information."

The Survivors

It was also important to look after the well being of those that had
survived the fire. Food, lodging, clothing were all needs that had to be
taken care of. Furthermore, the emotional state of these men was of a
concern, and this is where the fraternal association can be invaluable.
"We asked other fraternity members to look out for the survivors,"
reported Sowash.

It was also important, according to Herring, to provide ongoing
counseling to the survivors. "We contacted the faculty members of the
three survivors to let them know that academically there would be an
impact on these students." An email was also sent out to the entire
faculty asking for their understanding.

Memorial and Funeral Services

In the days following the fire, there were two memorial services. The
first one was a candlelight service that was relatively spontaneous,
according to Kresch. "It is part of the healing process that the
community and the students need. It was driven by the campus ministers,
who took the lead." Local churches donated the candles, and a local
ribbon manufacturer donated the ribbons. It started as a march that
ended as a vigil at the site of the fire.

A large number of mementos, signs, and flowers were left at the site.
The fire department was very sensitive to the importance of these items,
and when they had to move them to get into the scene, the fire
department contacted residence life first. All of the mementos were
moved onto the campus and preserved.

When it came time for the funeral, it was apparent that many students
were going to attend. Sowash was concerned about the fraternity members
and friends driving out to the funerals. The university provided bus
transportation, which helped immensely.

A final memorial service was planned by the families and the fraternity
after the last funeral to put a closure on the incident. "This wasn't
something done by the university...there were many people involved in
the planning," according to Sowash. "It was more a celebration of their
lives than a memorial service," added Kresch.

The Future

Where is the university going in the future?

According to Herring, this September, each fraternity and sorority will
have a fire marshal that will be responsible for working with the fire
department and the towns' code enforcement officer to inspect their
building. Training will be provided to these fire marshals by the town.
Each of the Greek houses will be required to undergo two inspections per
year instead of one, which had been the norm in the past.

The university has been having a number of meetings with landlords, the
town and the Greek organizations about alternative housing and private
development. They are discussing the finances of sprinkler systems in
the dormitories. Smoking in the individual rooms in the dormitories has
been banned, as have candles.

"The focus is now on prevention," said Sowash.

NFPA Fall Meeting

There is going to be a definite focus on campus fire safety at the NFPA
Fall Educational Conference this November in Orlando, Florida.

On Sunday, November 12, the NFPA Education Section is sponsoring a
session from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. called *Student Housing Fire Safety: A
National Perspective...Protecting Our Most Valuable Resource*.

Speakers will include:

-   Bonnie Woodruff, the mother of one of the students killed in the
    1996 Chapel Hill fraternity fire

-   Buddy Dewar, National Fire Sprinkler Association

-   Ed Comeau, publisher of Campus Firewatch

On Monday, November 13 the event being held is *Campus Fire Safety Forum
II*. This year, it is being co-sponsored by three organizations involved
in promoting fire safety at our nation's colleges and universities:

-   The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org)

-   The United States Fire Administration (www.usfa.fema.gov)

-   The Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association
    (www.safety.utoledo.edu/cshema/)

While the agenda for this program has not been finalized, it is going to
include a focus on legislation that is being proposed or implemented at
local, state and federal levels. The goal is to provide the attendees
with a wealth of information on "how to" develop the most effective
legislation and ordinances, based on the experience of others.

Another presentation will be on how NFPA's *Fire Drills:Great Escape*
program has been adapted for use at the University of Miami in Ohio.

The first forum, held at NFPA headquarters in 1999, was recognized as a
valuable opportunity for fire safety professionals, campus
administrators and others to exchange information. Forum II is expanding
upon this exchange by including a new co-sponsor this year, the Campus
Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association. CSHEMA is a
division of the National Safety Council and is made up of professionals
that are focused on the safety issues in the academic environment.

"With recent college fire tragedies all too present in our minds," says
Meri-K Appy, vice president for public education at NFPA, "NFPA is eager
to support a growing national movement to address this serious problem.
The forum will provide the right opportunity for a wide range of experts
and professionals to create meaningful strategic action plans."

According to Mike Halligan, who chairs the Fire and Life Safety
committee, CSHEMA is a division of the National Safety Council. The
Association promotes and strengthens activities pertaining to all
aspects of college and university safety, health and environmental
management. It is dedicated to assisting member institutions in
advancing safety, health and environmental quality in higher education
and it strives to be the definitive resource on best practice for
reliable and effective environmental health and safety for colleges,
universities, and other educational institutions.

Membership in CSHEMA is open to any person whose activities are directly
related to college or university safety programs and who are also
individual members of or affiliated with an organizational member of the
National Safety Council.

More information on the NFPA Fall Education Conference can be found on
the NFPA web site at [www.nfpa.org](http://www.nfpa.org/), or by calling
1-617-984-7310.

A copy of the final report from Forum I can be downloaded from the
RESOURCES page of the Campus Firewatch web site at
[www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/).

From the Editor

The end of the summer vacation is fast approaching, and within weeks
students will be moving back into dormitories, fraternities, sororities
and apartments across the country. They are going to be meeting their
old friends, making new ones and having the experience of "being on
their own."

With this experience, however, does come a certain burden of
responsibility. Responsibility to themselves and the others around them.

One of the most tragic aspects of fires in campus housing is that the
fire endangers the innocent because of the number of young people living
close together. No matter how responsible someone may be, the
carelessness of one person can place hundreds of people at risk. One
fire, started by one person either deliberately or accidentally, can
kill and injure many.

College is a new experience for young people, and at times their
behavior places them at risk. While there are changes being made in
areas such as alcohol consumption, there are other areas where we have
not been as successful. Fire safety is one.

We can't always modify the behavior, but we can certainly create an
environment where the results of the behavior won't have tragic
consequences. I'm talking about fire-safe buildings incorporating
passive design features such as fire doors, fire walls, and sound exit
design, among others. Active design features include fire alarm systems
and sprinkler systems. All of this blended together will provide a safer
environment in which our young people can live.

And let us not forget fire prevention. Making them aware of the dangers
of some of their actions and the consequences is not always easy.
Students are being bombarded with a multitude of messages from
advertisers and they are focusing on their studies...gaining their
attention about something as "mundane" as fire safety is difficult, but
not impossible.

Fire safety is a shared responsibility. Parents need to ensure that the
buildings where their children are living are fire-safe, and more
parents are starting to ask questions about the fire safety aspects of
student housing. Students have to make sure their behavior doesn't place
others at risk. Fire safety professionals have to be diligent in their
efforts to ensure that these properties are safe and that the local
codes and ordinance are adequate. Housing officials, landlords and
property owners are obligated to provide a safe environment, and should
be encouraged to go beyond the bare minimums required by the codes.

We need to work together for the same goal. Safe campuses everywhere.

Pennsylvania Sprinkler Legislation

On July 20, 2000, a hearing was held in State College, Pennsylvania,
before the Pennsylvania House Labor Relations Committee. The Committee
was hearing testimony regarding House Bill 2458, which is calling for
sprinklers to be installed in dormitories across the state.

The following people testified at this hearing:

Ed Comeau, Publisher, Campus Firewatch

Gary Lewis, Chief Inspector, City of Summit, New Jersey

Coalition for Safe Student Housing

Kenneth Lehn, National Fire Sprinkler Association

Thomas Gibson, Assistant Vice President, Auxiliary & Business Services

Pennsylvania State University

Bill Hoffman, Advisor, Alpha Gamma Rho

Pennsylvania State University

Walter Wise, Fire Administrator

Center Region Council of Governments

Mr. Comeau's testimony centered around the need for not only sprinklers,
but an all inclusive program using the PODS approach-prevention,
occupant awareness, detection and suppression. (A copy of his testimony
is on the RESOURCE page of the Campus Firewatch web site
www.campus-firewatch.com)

Mr. Lewis provided some background on the legislation that was just
signed in New Jersey. Mr. Lehn used this opportunity to clarify some
information that had been provided in the first hearing and to explain
how the installation of sprinkler systems could be done in such a manner
as to minimize the impact upon the residents and the building
operations.

Mr. Gibson provided an overview of the fire safety program at
Pennsylvania State University. While he felt that sprinklers would help
to improve the level of fire safety, he felt that they were not
necessary, and would create an undue financial burden upon the students.
Furthermore, he did not believe that they could be installed within the
five-year timeframe called for in the legislation because of the
interruption that it would create in the residence halls.

Mr. Hoffman spoke of the need to include the Greek system in this
legislation, since that his where a number of fires are occurring, and
some fraternities may not be able to shoulder the burden of installing a
sprinkler system without assistance.

Mr. Wise discussed the history of fires in Center Region and from his
experience in Maryland.

All of the witnesses spoke strongly in favor of improved fire safety in
all campus housing, and everyone, with one exception, were ardent
supporters of sprinklers as a means to this end. Following all of the
testimony, Representative Belfanti summarized his feelings based on the
testimony provided. He was going to propose that the committee recommend
that Greek housing be included in the legislation, along with the
dormitories.

According to Representative Belfanti's office, there will probably be
one more hearing on this legislation, possibly in September. Following
this hearing, the committee will then make any amendments to the
legislation before it is returned to the legislature. This year's
legislative session is scheduled to end on November 30, 2000.

Copies of the testimony provided at this hearing, as well as the text of
the proposed legislation, are available on the Campus Firewatch RESOURCE
page at www.campus-firewatch.com.

Back to School

A web site promoting "back to school" items for college bound students
had some interesting items listed. Among them:

Hot Pot

"Perfect for dorm cooking, this convenient hot pot is a whiz at making
tea, instant soup, hot cocoa and more. Safe and easy to use, it heats
water more quickly than a microwave and more safely than a hot burner."

Rituals Candles

"Candles designed to make you think. When you break the seal and open
the scroll surrounding each candle you will find a special ritual there
to guide you."

Aromatherapy Gift Sets

"Exams, projects, deadlines! Dissolve the day's stress with a few
minutes of quiet and the healing power of aromatherapy. These candles
are made with natural dyes and oils derived from nature\'s most fragrant
plants, fruits and flowers."

<http://eshop.msn.com/softcontent/softcontent.asp?scmId=469&scpId=960>

Insurance

While testifying at a hearing before the Pennsylvania Committee on Labor
Relations on their sprinkler legislation, each of the witnesses was
asked what type of impact sprinklers would have upon insurance premiums.
Campus Firewatch asked some people involved in insuring both Greek
houses and campuses for some estimates.

One insurance company for fraternities estimated that they would offer a
30% discount if a property was fully sprinklered. Another company that
insures sororities said that their discount would run about 15%. The
reason they said that their discount is low is because they already have
low rates on sororities as "preferred properties."

A third company that insures campuses said that they would offer a
reduction of about 15% to 20% if the campus went from non-sprinklered to
sprinklered buildings.

Fraternity fires-two cases

The following two articles appeared in the March, 2000 newsletter of the
Phi Mu Delta Fraternity. Reprinted with permission.

Fire Claims MuEP House At Penn State

by Pat Nipper '96, Past Alumni President

The past year ended on a disappointing note for the Mu Epsilon chapter.
On December 17, 1999, the vacant chapter house caught fire during the
middle of the night. You may recall that the house had been vacant since
it was condemned for being structurally unsafe in 1998. The damage was
substantial. The third and fourth floors were decimated and the roof
collapsed. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the blaze. The cause is still
under investigation by the State College police department; arson is
suspected.

Because of the fire and the already precarious financial situation of
the chapter, the Alumni Board was forced to sell the house to a local
investor. The investor currently has no plans for the property; one
option we will suggest to him will be to construct a new fraternity
which could be leased to our group.

The proceeds from the sale are being held in the alumni corporation
account until a new fraternity house can be purchased. In the meantime,
our undergraduate chapter has secured fraternity housing for the
2000-2001 school year. They will move out of their apartments and once
again live together in a group setting. WE have a strong undergraduate
group that has learned how to stick together in hard times. The housing
situation has taught them how to function as a brotherhood that shares
much more in common than just an address.

Fire Protection Systems?

Worth their weight in gold!

The alumni of Nu Omicron bemoaned the amount of money they were required
to spend last year on upgrading the chapter house's sprinkler and smoke
alarm capabilities in the midst of all the other "financially pressing"
matters at the time. However, that money paid off in an instant last
month when someone stuffed a pillow under one of the new steel fire
doors and set it ablaze in the middle of the night as a campus prank.
"The house filled quickly with smoke," said alumni president Jim Murphy,
"but the system activated itself immediately, just like it was supposed
to, awakening the sleeping members so they could get out safely." The
Keene Police and Fire Departments responded almost instantly. The only
damage to the hundred-plus-year-old, three-story wood frame structure
was the need for a new steel fire door and to eventually air out the
smell of smoke. The police have apprehended two suspects who will be
prosecuted for the incident.

"Phi Mu Delta annually distributes materials to its chapters on fire
safety awareness and fire prevention equipment," said National President
Dave Smittle. A new video titled "Get Out and Stay Alive" was
distributed this past fall to all chapters. "Materials available from
all the national fire prevention and sprinkler trade associations on
this topic...even the ability to refer interested chapters to national
lending groups which can offer attractive rates...have been shared with
chapters in order to encourage sprinkler and/or alarm systems be
installed in the houses," Smittle added. Chapter and housing
corporations which desire more information on this important and timely
topic are encouraged to contact the national fraternity for assistance
along these lines.

Heard and Seen Elsewhere....

During the recent hearing at State College, Pennsylvania, the issue of
sprinklers versus fire alarms was raised by one of the legislators. In
response, Walter Wise, fire administrator for the Center Region Council
of Governments, said "If the back of your coat was on fire, would you
want me to just tell you about it, or would you like me to throw a glass
of water on it?"

Enough said...

The July24th issue of Engineering News-Record contained an extensive
article on the issue of sprinkler regulations in dormitories and other
campus housing. Ed Comeau was interviewed for this article and material
from Campus Firewatch's website was used by the author.

http://www.enr.com/news/enrbld94.asp

An article in The News & Record newspaper, based in Piedmont Triad, NC,
discussed the number of sprinkler installations in dormitories at the
University of North Carolina. An interesting quote in the paper from one
of the administrators... "By the time the sprinkler head would go off,
everybody would be dead from smoke inhalation." If this is indeed an
accurate quote, then it shows that we, as fire safety professionals,
have a long way to go in educating and informing the people that make
the funding decisions.

## Legislation

S 2100

College Fire Prevention Act

## Jurisdiction

Federal

## Sponsor

Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

United States Senate

225 Dirksen Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

202-224-3154

<senator@edwards.senate.gov>

## Cosponsors

Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI)\
United States Senate\
329 Dirksen Senate Office Building\
Washington, DC 20510\
Phone: (202) 224-4822\
Fax: (202) 224-8834\
<michigan@abraham.senate.gov>

http://www.senate.gov/\~abraham/

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)\
448 Russell Office Bldg.\
United States Senate\
Washington, D.C. 20510\
(202) 224-2823 (tel)

\(202\) 224-1083 (fax)

[Senator@dodd.senate.gov](mailto:Senator@dodd.senate.gov?subject=WEBSITE COMMENT)

http://www.senate.gov/\~dodd/

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)

364 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

\(202\) 224-2152 (tel)

\(202\) 228-0400 (fax)

<dick@durbin.senate.gov>

http://www.senate.gov/\~durbin/

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

United States Senate

506 Senate Hart Building

Washington, DC 20510

\(202\) 224-4744 (tel)

\(202\) 224-9707 (fax)

<frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov>

http://www.senate.gov/\~lautenberg/

Senator Robert Toricelli (D-NJ)

United States Senate

113 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

\(202\) 224-3224 (tel)

\(202\) 224-8567 (fax)

<senatortorricelli@torricelli.senate.gov>

## Funding

\$100,000,000

## Facilities

Dormitories, fraternities or sororities

## Status

Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions on 2/24/00. Still in committee and no action has been taken.

**Summary**\
Authorizes appropriations for competitive grants to help provide fire
sprinkler systems in student housing and dormitories.

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to States,
private or public colleges or universities, fraternities, or sororities
to assist them in providing such systems.

Requires grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to at least
one-half of project costs.

Directs the Comptroller General to gather, and report to Congress, data
on the number of college and university housing facilities and
dormitories that have and do not have fire sprinkler systems and other
forms of built-in fire protection mechanisms.

## Legislation

S 2178

HR 3831

Fire Safe Dorm Act of 2000

## Jurisdiction

Federal

Sponsors

Senator Frank Lautenberg

United States Senate

506 Senate Hart Building

Washington, DC 20510

\(202\) 224-4744 (tel)

\(202\) 224-9707 (fax)

<frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov>

<http://www.senate.gov/~lautenberg/>

http://www.senate.gov/\~torricelli/

Representative Carolyn Maloney

2430 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

\(202\) 225-7944 (tel)

\(202\) 225-4709 (fax)

<rep.carolyn.maloney@mail.house.gov>

http://www.house.gov/maloney/

## Funding

N/A

## Facilities

Campuses nationwide

## Status

Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions on 3/2/00. Still in committee and no action has been taken.

Summary

The objective of this bill is to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965
to require colleges and universities to disclose to students and their
parents the incidents of fires in dormitories, and their plans to reduce
fire safety hazards in dormitories, to require the United States Fire
Administration to establish fire safety standards for dormitories, and
for other purposes.

## Legislation

HR 4504

Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2000

## Jurisdiction

Federal

## Sponsor

Representative Buck McKeon

2242 Rayburn HOB\
Washington D.C. 20515\
(202) 225-1956 (tel)\
(202) 226-0683 (fax)

<tellbuck@mail.house.gov>

http://www.house.gov/mckeon/

## Funding

N/A

## Facilities

Campuses nationwide

## Status

Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions on 6/13/00. Still in committee and no action has been taken.

## Summary

This legislation has several amendments attached to it pertaining to
campus fire safety. They include providing a description of campus fire
safety features, reports on the number of fires and false alarms, and an
analysis of current fire safety systems and plans for upgrading fire
protection.

## Legislation

Supplemental budget appropriation

## Jurisdiction

Massachusetts

## Sponsors

Governor Paul Cellucci

State House\
Office of the Governor\
Room 360\
Boston, MA 02133\
(617) 727-6250 (tel)

\(617\) 727-9725 (fax)

Goffice@state.ma.us

## Funding

\$50,000,000

## Facilities

Dormitories, state buildings only

## Status

It is believed that this did not survive the budget hearings. Campus
Firewatch was not able to get confirmation of this at press time.

## Summary

The governor has inserted into the supplemental budget language giving
the state the authority to fund sprinkler installation in state
dormitories.

## Legislation

S 891

Dormitory Safety Trust Fund Act

## Jurisdiction

New Jersey

## Sponsors

Senator John A. Girgenti\
507 Lafayette Ave.

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

(973)-427-1229

<SenGirgenti@njleg.state.nj.us>

[www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/girgent.htm](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/girgent.htm)

Senator Louis F. Kosco\
441 Market Street

Saddle Brook, NJ 07663

(201)-712-1221

[www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/kosco.htm](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/kosco.htm)

Assemblyman John V. Kelly\
371 Franklin Ave.

2nd Fl.

Nutley, NJ 07110

\(973\) 667-6123

asmkelly@njleg.state.nj.us

[www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/kelly.htm](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/kelly.htm)

Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski\
3145 Bordentown Ave.

Suite B

Parlin, NJ 08859

\(732\) 316-1885

<AsmWisniewski@njleg.state.nj.us>

[www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/wisnew.htm](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/html/wisnew.htm)

Governor Christine Todd Whitman

P.O. Box 001

Trenton, NJ 08625

\(609\) 292-6000

www.state.nj.us/governor/contact.htm

## Funding

\$90,000,000

## Facilities

Dormitories, public and private

Greek Housing

## Status

Governor Whitman signed this legislation into law on 7/5/00. The
regulations associated with this law are now being written and will be
adopted by emergency action. At press time, sources believed that they
would be adopted by approximately August 16, 2000.

## Summary

This legislation calls for the installation of sprinklers in dormitories
and Greek housing within five years. It provides 0% interest loans for
public institutions and 2% interest loans for private institutions.
There is a 15-year payback period for these loans.

## Legislation

HB 2458

Dormitory Automatic Sprinkler Act

## Jurisdiction

Pennsylvania

## Sponsors

Representative Michael McGeehan

221B South Office

Harrisburg, PA 17120

\(717\) 772-4029 (tel)

<mcgeehan@pahouse.net>

www.pahouse.net/McGeehan/index.htm

**Funding**

\$100,000,000

## Facilities

Dormitories

## Status

A hearing was held before the House Labor Relations Committee on July
20, 2000. A third hearing may possibly be scheduled for September. The
committee chairman indicated following the hearing that he is going to
propose that the committee recommend that fraternities be included in
the legislation. The legislature will recess for the year on November
30, 2000. Further information on this hearing can be found elsewhere in
this issue of Campus Firewatch.

**Summary**

Representative Michael McGeehan introduced House Bill 2458, the
Dormitory Automatic Sprinkler Act, on April 11, 2000. This bill calls
for the installation of sprinklers in all new dormitories, and in
existing dormitories within five years. It proposes the appropriation of
\$100,000,000 to fund a sprinkler loan fund for low interest loans.

Campus Fire Log

June 8, 2000

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Campus Firewatch obtained the following information in an interview with
the Decatur Fire Department.

A fire occurred in an occupied fraternity at Millikin University in
Decatur, Illinois. The fire claimed the life of one male student.

The building where the fire occurred was a three-story wood frame
structure with a brick veneer. It was about 60 to 70 years old, with a
two-story addition that was built in the late 1960's. The structure had
originally been built as a house and was converted into a fraternity
sometime in the past.

The building was not equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system.

The building was equipped with single station, battery-powered smoke
detectors in each of the residence rooms. These detectors were replaced
every year.

There was a fire alarm system in the building that would only sound a
local alarm. It was equipped with detection in the common areas and not
in the individual rooms. It was reported that at the time of the fire
the alarm system was functional, but the audible devices had been
silenced.

At the time of the fire, there were 20 people in the building.

It was reported that there were two means of egress throughout the
structure. One was an interior stairwell that extended to the third
floor. Another interior stairway extended two floors. The second means
of egress on the third floor was onto an exterior deck where an exit
ladder was located.

The stair that extended to the third floor was connected to a common
room on the third floor, which was the area of origin for the fire.
There was a door between the stairway and the common room, but it was
open at the time of the fire. The door, which was a metal, fire-rated
door, was not equipped with an automatic door closer.

There were four residence rooms on the third floor. Two of the rooms
were immediately off the common area where the fire occurred. One of the
rooms was equipped with a hollow-core door between it and the common
room, while the other had a solid wood door.

At the time of the fire, there were two people in two separate rooms off
the common room on the third floor. Normally, there would be five
occupants living in this area.

The fire started in an upholstered chair in the common room. The cause
of the fire is officially undetermined, but fire officials speculated
that it might have been started by careless disposal of smoking
materials. The chair was located approximately eight feet from the room
equipped with the hollow core door.

The fire extended from the chair and involved the contents in the common
room, blocking any possibility of egress from the two residence rooms.

The fire was detected by a passerby, who notified the fire department.
However, this person did not know the exact address. He/she pounded on
the front door of the fraternity to waken the occupants, and then was
able to notify the fire department of the correct address.

The occupant in the room equipped with the solid wood door was awakened
when the smoke detector in his room activated. Using a cellular
telephone, he contacted the fire department and was in constant contact
until he was rescued by the fire fighters.

It is unclear what actions the person in the room with the hollow-core
door took. He normally slept in the top bunk, and he was found out of
bed, approximately six feet into the room. The door between the
residence room and the common room failed during the fire, letting smoke
and heat extend into the residence room. According to the fire
department, the fire was limited to the common room and did not extend
into the residence room where the fatality occurred.

The cause of death was carbon monoxide poising.

August 7, 2000

University o Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

The following information was obtained through an interview by Campus
Firewatch with a University of Michigan spokesperson.

A late afternoon fire in a five story dormitory caused damage to the
roof, which was being replaced at the time of the fire. There was also
water damage down into the building. The cause of the fire is under
investigation.

The building would normally house 900 students. It was not equipped with
a sprinkler system, but was equipped with a fire alarm system with
single station smoke detectors in the residence rooms.

The building was being used to house students occupying a summer camp,
but there were not many students in the building at the time of the
fire. A university spokesperson reported that the dormitory would be
available for the fall semester. No dollar estimate was available at
this time.

Another fire also occurred earlier in the day in the Chemistry Building.
This fire was believed to have been started when a spark from
construction work being done on the exterior of the building ignited
material in the wall. The four story building was equipped with a fire
alarm system and a sprinkler system. Both activated when the fire
extended into a bio-physics laboratory. Damage was limited to \$50,000.

Going to Press

As we were going to press, we became aware of pending bond legislation
in North Carolina that will be voted on in November.

According to Leslie Bevacqua, campaign director for North Carolinians
for Educational Opportunity, the focus of the bond program is to provide
funds to upgrade the buildings on all of the state and community college
campuses in the state. As part of this bond program, whenever a new
building is constructed, or an existing one is renovated, sprinklers
would be installed as part of the project.

The portion of the bond funds to be allocated for the university system
is \$2.5 billion.

More information will be available on this in future issues of Campus
Firewatch.

Going to Press

As we were going to press, we became aware of pending bond legislation
in North Carolina that will be voted on in November.

According to Leslie Bevacqua, campaign director for North Carolinians
for Educational Opportunity, the focus of the bond program is to provide
funds to upgrade the buildings on all of the state and community college
campuses in the state. As part of this bond program, whenever a new
building is constructed, or an existing one is renovated, sprinklers
would be installed as part of the project.

The portion of the bond funds to be allocated for the university system
is \$2.5 billion.

More information will be available on this in future issues of Campus
Firewatch.

Candle and Halogen Lamp Survey Results

Campus Firewatch conducted a very unscientific survey to determine what
various institutions' policies are on candles and halogen lamps.

Fifty-one institutions responded to the inquiry. The following are the
results.

Candles

\# of Institutions Policy

38 (75%) Outright bans against the use and possession of candles in
student residences.

6 (12%) Candles are allowed to be used only under certain circumstances,
such as with a fire watch present, or in a special location such as a
student lounge with prior permission.

4 (8%) Candles allowed as decorative items, but prohibited from being
lit.

3 (6%) No restrictions on candles.

Halogen Lamps

36 (71%) Halogen lamps are banned.

15 (29%) Halogen lamps are permitted

Letter to the Editor

It isn't too often that we run letters sent to us. This one, however,
merits being printed. It has been edited to remove references to the
particular school, which isn't important. What is important is the
lesson that we can all gain from this.

Last week we took my daughter to her freshmen orientation. It\'s a nice
school, well kept, about 12K students etc.

As we were touring the dorms, I noticed only about half the buildings
were sprinklered.

At a parents meeting (about 600 parents) a question was raised about how
many dorms were sprinklered, and why the others weren\'t. The person on
the stage deferred to one of their safety (if you call him that)
officers who had the guts to get up and say only two dorms were
sprinklered, that sprinklers really aren\'t necessary because they only
save property. He also said they have smoke alarms and that is all
parents should be concerned with. He reiterated again that there is a
misconception about sprinklers, they really only preserve property. If
the sprinklers have to go off, its probably too late anyway!! He said
they only sprinklered the high rise buildings!! (I guess if you can
jump, you are ok)

Needless to say, the university is getting a letter from me. I\'m going
to go into your previous editions and get some background to send to the
President of the Univ.

(A lot of other parents didn\'t buy it either as it got loud after this
idiot made those statements)

Campus Firewatch contacted the university's public affairs officer and
asked for his reaction to this letter. He replied that the statements
that were made were probably correct.