**[MODULE OVERVIEW:]{.underline}**

> In a residential setting, students often underestimate the danger of a
> fire and frequently make decisions that place themselves at risk. This
> module utilizes case analysis and two video presentations to
> demonstrate the potential of fire. Students will be exposed to a
> methodical step-by-step procedure to follow when an alarm or detector
> sounds or when a fire strikes in their residential setting. This
> knowledge can serve as a foundation level guide to reduce the danger.
> As such, this program should not be presented or constructed as a
> definitive source of fire related instruction. Based on the limited
> nature of this lesson plan it should be expanded and or adapted to
> address local needs.

**[GENERAL DESCRIPTION:]{.underline}**

> Living with Fire is a unique, student-centered project that seeks to
> determine and address the needs of the student relating to the dangers
> of fire in the college environment. As students, you must now be
> capable of independently making the correct choices that affect your
> ability to survive should a fire develop.
>
> This program will establish a national source for college fire related
> information and produce a series of new activities, events and
> educational resources specific to the college student. If we are going
> to make a difference and reduce the tragic effects of fire, we need
> your candid conversation and honest input. During this focus group,
> please provide as much input and discussion when responding to a
> question or discussion. Your assistance will help us to create quality
> programs that will save lives.
>
> This module seeks to provide students with an increased awareness
> relative to the danger of fire. As such this program should not be
> presented or constructed as a definitive source of fire related
> instruction. Based on the limited nature of this lesson plan it should
> be expanded and or adapted to address local needs.

**[DISCLAIMER:]{.underline}**

> **This lesson plan may not address all of the issues, needs,
> requirements and policies of your college or university. It's
> objective is to provide a basis for the development of a lesson plan
> specific to your institution. The instructor MUST evaluate the
> relevancy of the information in this lesson plan to your local
> conditions and use it as a resource to modify as necessary to address
> local needs.**

**[INTERNET REFERENCE SOURCES:]{.underline}**

**American Cancer Society**

[**www.cancer.org**](http://www.cancer.org/)

**Campus Firewatch**

[**www.campus-firewatch.com**](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/)

**National Electric Manufacturers Association**

[**www.nema.org**](http://www.nema.org/)

**National Fire Sprinkler Association**

[**www.nfsa.org**](http://www.nfsa.org/)

**NFPA International**

[**www.nfpa.org**](http://www.nfpa.org/)

**SimplexGrinnell**

[**www.simplexgrinnell.com**](http://www.simplexgrinnell.com/)

**United States Fire Administration**

[**www.usfa.fema.gov**](http://www.usfa.fema.gov/)

**University of Texas System**

[**www.utsystem.edu**](http://www.utsystem.edu/)

**[INSTRUCTOR TIME GUIDE:]{.underline}**

**This lesson should not exceed fifty minutes inclusive of practical
activities.**

-   **25 minutes -- overview of the limitations of fire extinguisher**

-   **25 minutes -- practical demonstration and student experience
    activities**

**[METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:]{.underline}**

-   **Lecture**

-   **Illustration**

-   **Practical activities and demonstration**

-   **Video presentation**

**[RECOMMENDED MATERIALS, VISUAL AIDS & EQUIPMENT:]{.underline}**

-   **Computer for PowerPoint presentation**

-   **Projection Screen**

-   **PowerPoint presentation -- assembled from materials located on the
    Living With Fire website such as photos from the Photo Library and
    video from the Live Burn**

-   **Examples of items destroyed by fire**

-   **Living With Fire student information bulletins**

-   **Statistics from the NFPA ([www.nfpa.org](http://www.nfpa.org/))**

**[LEARNING OBJECTIVES:]{.underline}**

-   **Provide the student with an overview of the increased risk of
    living off-campus in a fraternity or sorority.**

-   **Provide the student with basic ideas that can improve their
    safety.**

-   **Provide the student with recommended actions to take in the event
    of a fire**.

-   **To inform the student of the potential effects of risk taking
    behaviors.**

+--------------------+-------------------------------------------------+
|                    | ## Case Studies                                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 1\. Amherst Massachusetts, October 2000 - An    |
|                    | off-campus house where five students lived was  |
|                    | severely damaged by a fire that occurred at     |
|                    | approximately 10:00 p.m.                        |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | The building where the fire occurred was a      |
|                    | two-story, wood frame structure. Either four or |
|                    | five students from the University of            |
|                    | Massachusetts occupied it.                      |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | There were conflicting accounts of how the fire |
|                    | started. According to one report, the fire was  |
|                    | caused when a student was attempting to use     |
|                    | kerosene to refuel a Halloween decoration on    |
|                    | the front porch. Another account was that the   |
|                    | pumpkin ignited from the flame inside of it,    |
|                    | and the fire spread to the porch.               |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | It was reported that the occupants attempted to |
|                    | extinguish the fire, but were unsuccessful.     |
|                    | They then left the front door of the house      |
|                    | open, which allowed the fire to spread rapidly  |
|                    | to the interior and up the stairway, which was  |
|                    | immediately adjacent to the front door. The     |
|                    | building was a total loss and was subsequently  |
|                    | demolished.                                     |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 2\. 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.                                          |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | A passerby, who notified the fire department,   |
|                    | detected the fire. 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    |
|                    | the fire fighters rescued him.                  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 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          |
|                    | poisoning.                                      |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 3\. A fire at the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity  |
|                    | caused serious damage to the building. The      |
|                    | building was a three and one-half story,        |
|                    | ordinary construction structure. It was         |
|                    | equipped with a fire alarm system that was      |
|                    | comprised of system smoke detectors in common   |
|                    | areas and single station smoke detectors in the |
|                    | bedrooms. The building had an occupancy of 67   |
|                    | people. At the time of the fire, there were 65  |
|                    | people, and a housemother, in the structure.    |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | At 4:44 a.m., the Manhattan Fire Department     |
|                    | received a call of a fire in the building. Upon |
|                    | arrival, the first units reported that there    |
|                    | was smoke showing from the south and east sides |
|                    | of the building, with occupants exiting from    |
|                    | all three floors. The occupants were not able   |
|                    | to verify if everyone was out of the building,  |
|                    | so crews immediately began search and rescue    |
|                    | operations on all three floors.                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | The fire department extinguished the fire. Fire |
|                    | damage was limited to the room of origin, with  |
|                    | moderate to heavy smoke damage throughout the   |
|                    | third floor.                                    |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | According to official sources, three            |
|                    | individuals occupied the room of origin. Two of |
|                    | the occupants were asleep when the third went   |
|                    | to bed at 3:30 a.m. At approximately 4:40 a.m., |
|                    | this individual reported that he was having     |
|                    | trouble breathing and he awoke to get a drink   |
|                    | of water. When he returned to the room he       |
|                    | observed a fire in the far corner of with heavy |
|                    | smoke in the room. He woke the occupants, one   |
|                    | of whom attempted to unsuccessfully fight the   |
|                    | fire with a fire extinguisher. They then exited |
|                    | the room and began knocking on doors to alert   |
|                    | the other building occupants.                   |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | A manual pull station activated the building    |
|                    | fire alarm system. The fraternity president     |
|                    | silenced the fire alarm three times.            |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | During the fire investigation, the fire         |
|                    | department was unable to find evidence of a     |
|                    | battery for the smoke detector. When they       |
|                    | checked an adjacent room, the smoke detector in |
|                    | that room was missing its battery.              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | A.  **Attitude and perception**                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     1.  Public at large does not think that a   |
|                    |         fire will happen to them and students   |
|                    |         are no exception.                       |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     2.  This often leads to complacency         |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | B.  **Fire History in the college Environment** |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   1700 fires per year in residence halls  |
|                    |         and Greek housing                       |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   \$2.8 million in damage per year.       |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | #  D. What is Fire                              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > 1\. Relevant examples of fire                 |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 2\. Two types of fire -- smoldering and       |
|                    | > flaming fire                                  |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > **E. The Fire Triangle -- smoldering fire**   |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 1\. Three essential ingredients:              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | Oxygen -- 21 % in normal air, fire burns until  |
|                    | about 16% and then smolders                     |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | Fuel                                            |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | Heat                                            |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > **F. States of fuel**                         |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > A. Solid -- paper, wood                       |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > B. Liquid - gasoline                          |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > C. Gas -- natural gas, propane                |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > **G. Fire Growth and development**            |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 1\. Equilibrium - light a candle to show a    |
|                    | > fire in equilibrium                           |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 2\. Rapid growth -- show a Living with Fire   |
|                    | > Video segment available on the Living with    |
|                    | > Fire web site.                                |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | H.  **Where you live - Control over your life** |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | ###  1. Common hazards                          |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > 2\. Candles                                   |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 3\. Halogen lights                            |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 4\. Space heaters                             |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 5\. Extension cords                           |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 6\. Don't ever use flammable liquids          |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 7\. Smoking materials represent not only a    |
|                    | > health risk but a fire risk**.**              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | I.  **What to do**                              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > 1\. Have a fire extinguisher or know where    |
|                    | > one is                                        |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 2\. Know how to get out -- at least two exits |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 3\. Evacuate when the alarm sounds            |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 4\. Sound the alarm and warn others           |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 5\. Once out stay out                         |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 6\. Have a carbon monoxide detector           |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | J.  **Control over your surroundings -- fire    |
|                    |     prevention starts where you live.**         |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > 1\. Do not block open fire doors. These will  |
|                    | > stop the spread of smoke and fire from one    |
|                    | > area to another                               |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 2\. Do NOT tamper with the fire alarm and the |
|                    | > sprinkler systems. Not only will this make    |
|                    | > them useless, it may result in criminal       |
|                    | > violations                                    |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 3\. Do not use fire extinguishers for         |
|                    | > something other than what they are designed   |
|                    | > to do-put out a fire                          |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 4\. Smoking is a leading cause of fire deaths |
|                    | > across the country. Banning smoking can help  |
|                    | > to significantly reduce one of the leading    |
|                    | > causes of fire fatalities                     |
|                    | >                                               |
|                    | > 5\. If smoking is allowed, make sure that     |
|                    | > ashtrays are available.                       |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 6.  After a party, make sure ALL cigarettes are |
|                    |     properly discarded                          |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 7.  It is critically important that fire        |
|                    |     sprinkler and fire alarm systems be         |
|                    |     properly maintained and operational at all  |
|                    |     times.                                      |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | ## Occupant Awareness - How you live            |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | # Your actions may impact many                  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > 1\. Housekeeping                              |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 2.  Risk Taking behavior --partying -- develop  |
|                    |     a designated person that will stay sober    |
|                    |     and check for fire after the party is over  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 3.  Do not tamper with the fire sprinkler and   |
|                    |     fire alarm systems. They are life safety    |
|                    |     devices and may very well save your lives.  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | > **Actions to take:**                          |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 1.  When the alarm sounds -- evacuate           |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 2.  When fire breaks out -- warn others, sound  |
|                    |     the alarm, evacuate                         |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 3.  When an unsafe condition is observed ( such |
|                    |     as covering the smoke detectors) -- bring   |
|                    |     it to the attention of the entire group-and |
|                    |     fix it!                                     |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 4.  Don't bypass detection or suppression       |
|                    |     systems                                     |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | 5.  Don't get burned -- detail fire cause       |
|                    |     statistics                                  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | ```{=html}                                      |
|                    | <!-- -->                                        |
|                    | ```                                             |
|                    | K.  **Fire Detection & Suppression-- What can   |
|                    |     you expect**                                |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     1.  Single station smoke detectors should   |
|                    |         be installed in all buildings at a      |
|                    |         minimum                                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     2.  Battery or 110 volt operated some       |
|                    |         fraternities and sororities have        |
|                    |         integrated alarm systems that alert the |
|                    |         entire building ad call the fire        |
|                    |         department.                             |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     3.  Often false alarms are due to           |
|                    |         improperly based on poor placement near |
|                    |         a kitchen or bathroom. These situations |
|                    |         can be corrected by properly locating   |
|                    |         the smoke detector-DO NOT disable or    |
|                    |         cover the smoke detector to solve the   |
|                    |         problem!                                |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     4.  Myths and realities of sprinkler        |
|                    |         systems                                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     5.  Fight or flight - don't get burned      |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    | ```{=html}                                      |
|                    | <!-- -->                                        |
|                    | ```                                             |
|                    | L.  **How Do You Survive?**                     |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Know two ways to get out                |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Test the door to see if it is hot       |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Sound the alarm                         |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Warn others                             |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Don't ignore the alarm                  |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Don't go back in                        |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Crawl low in smoke if there is no other |
|                    |         way out                                 |
|                    |                                                 |
|                    |     -   Once outside dial 911                   |
+--------------------+-------------------------------------------------+