Campus Firewatch

July 2000 Issue

©2000 Campus Firewatch

Aftermath

Part 1

On March 19, 2000, Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania,
lost three fraternity brothers in an off-campus fire. This is the second
time that the university has had to deal with such a tragedy. In 1994,
five fraternity brothers perished in another off-campus fire.

Although these fires occurred in residential facilities that did not
belong to the university, nor were they under their control, dealing
with the aftermath of these tragedies fell upon the university.

> Campus Firewatch spoke with Dr. Preston Herring, the vice president
> for student life, Linda Sowash, the director of residence life and Tom
> Kresch, the assistant director of residence life. Both Sowash and
> Kresch had been with the university when the first fire occurred in
> 1994, and were able to provide some valuable insight into how the two
> incidents differed.

"We learned a lot during the first fire," said Sowash. "However, there
were also a lot of other situations over the years that had also helped
us to prepare." These incidents, while not as tragic as the two fires,
did provide them with the opportunity to develop some effective
procedures. There had been a very detailed crisis plan in existence when
the fire occurred, but it was "overly organized...and fairly inflexible,
and it took time to implement," reported Herring.

The Fire

As soon as the university became aware of the March fire and the
potential fatalities, two staff members from residence life, including
Kresch, went directly to the fire scene. Sowash reported to the
residence life office to start coordinating activities. She began
calling the other fraternities and sororities to ask them when the last
time was that they had seen the three missing students, in hopes that
perhaps they were elsewhere. Unfortunately, her efforts were
unsuccessful.

The Families

Later that morning Herring contacted the parents of the students to tell
them of the fire and that their sons were missing. All three students
were from nearby, and the parents came to the university quickly.

When the parents arrived on campus, they were given space within the
residence life offices. "It was our experience that the families needed
a place where they can gather individually, so we set up three offices
with phones where they could gather and wait for news and call other
family members," explained Kresch. "They didn't really want to go to the
site, but they did want to be close. It allowed them to get information
from residence life."

Arrangements were also made for rooms with a local hotel under the
university's name. The hotel worked closely with the university to
ensure that the families were sheltered, and all calls were screened.

Another lesson that was learned following the 1994 fire, according to
Herring, was to have one person responsible for working with the
families. Herring assumed that role and said that it "provided natural
continuity, having one person from whom they knew they could get
information from."

The Media

Effective communication was one of the critical components to managing
this incident, from Sowash's point of view.

"In the first fire, the 6:00 news in Scranton and Philadelphia reported
that a fire had occurred in off-campus student housing," and didn't
provide many more details, said Sowash. "The phones lit up and a lot of
parents were calling all over the place. This time, a specific location
(of the fire) was given, which lessened the anxiety of the parents. By
identifying the address, it cut down on the number of calls."

Dealing with the press is a key factor, too, said Sowash. While she was
not directly responsible for providing information to the media, she
worked closely with the university's communications director. "The other
thing that helps with the media," explained Sowash, "is that when you
focus them on a location, they focus on that and plan their day. That
directs them and helps them to keep the story active, instead of them
having to look for a story."

There were essentially two command posts within the university during
the incident. One of them dealt with the press and was located at one
end of campus, while the other was located at residence life. The latter
one was more anonymous and was a great benefit to helping manage the
incident.

Since Bloomsburg is near several large media outlets, there were a
number of reporters, television stations and satellite trucks on site
for many days. The university president made a point of explaining to
the students that the media has a job to do and that they should not
target their anger towards them. Kresch and another staff member were on
the scene to help diffuse any situations that arose because of the media
interacting with the students.

The university made an effort to ensure that the media had the
information they needed to do their job. For example, when asked if they
were excluded from the campus-wide meeting that was held with all of the
students, Sowash replied with "They were wherever we were." The only
exception was there was no live coverage of the memorial service
allowed, said Herring.

The first press conference was scheduled for the afternoon of the fire.
Both university and town officials participated in the conference.
Herring said, "We learned from the 1994 fire that because it occurred
off-campus, people wanted to hear from both the university and the
town."

The university's communication staff compiled background information for
the press conference. This included information such as details about
the fraternity, who lived there, the past conduct record of the
fraternity, the record of code violations, how they responded to the
1994 fire, names of the students who died in the 1994 fire and other
pertinent information.

The Internet was also used as a communications tool with the media. "We
used the web as a media center," according to Herring. They put the
press releases, photographs of the victims, biographical information and
details on the funeral arrangements on the university's web site.

This article will be continued in the August issue of Campus Firewatch.

Breaking News

New Jersey

As this issue of Campus Firewatch was being printed, New Jersey Governor
Whitman has signed the Dormitory Fire Safety Act into law. The following
is a press release from the Governor's office that was issued on July 5,
2000. Look for more information on this important legislation in an
upcoming issue of Campus Firewatch.

Office of the Governor

News Release

Governor Signs Legislation Mandating Automatic Sprinklers in Dorm Rooms
Statewide Responding to January\'s Tragic Dormitory Fire at Seton Hall
University

Governor Christie Whitman today signed a bill into law at Seton Hall
University in South Orange to require the installation of automatic
sprinkler systems in all dormitory rooms in public and private colleges,
universities and boarding schools statewide.

Remembering the January 19th fire that took the lives of three Seton
Hall freshmen, while injuring another 58 students and four public safety
officers, Gov. Whitman said, \"Today, we try in our own way, to bring
some meaning to this tragedy, to ensure that some good can come out of
this terrible event. By making sure that something like this can never
happen again, we honor the memory of those who died and the suffering of
those who were injured.\"

\"I know that for the families and friends of the victims, nothing we
can do can heal the pain or fill the empty hole in their hearts,\"
continued the Governor. \"But I hope that knowing that their loss will
help prevent a similar loss will give those who knew and loved Frank,
John and Aaron a measure of comfort and peace.\"

The bill, S-891, is called the Dormitory Safety Trust Fund Act; it
specifically creates a requirement for the owners of buildings used as
dormitories for students at public or private schools or at public and
private institutions of higher education to install automatic fire
suppression systems. The law defines dormitories as buildings with rooms
used as residences or overnight sleeping for individuals or groups, and
includes fraternity or sorority houses - whether or not the buildings
are owned by an educational institution.

\"The effectiveness of automatic sprinkler systems has been demonstrated
for more than 100 years,\" said Gov. Whitman. \"By requiring their
installation in all residential buildings on every New Jersey campus, we
are ensuring that our students will have a safe place in which to live,
study and learn.\"

Gov. Whitman also thanked the Legislature and the leadership of New
Jersey\'s higher education community for working together to provide
this protection for the state\'s residential students. The Governor
acknowledged that while this measure was a big undertaking, it is more
than worth it for the good it will do and the lives it will save.

The bill\'s Senate sponsors were Senators Kosco (R-Bergen), Girgenti
(D-Passaic), Matheussen (R-Camden/ Gloucester), Cafiero (R-Cape
May/Atlantic/Cumberland) and Martin (R-Essex/ Morris/Passaic. The
bill\'s Assembly sponsors were Assembly Members Kelly
(R-Bergen/Essex/Passaic), Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), Crecco
(R-Essex/Passaic), Augustine (R-Middlesex/ Morris/Somerset/Union),
Stanley (D-Essex), O\'Toole (R-Essex/Union), Corodemus (R-Monmouth),
Asselta (R-Cape May/ Atlantic/Cumberland), Green (D- Middlesex/
Somerset/Union) and Russo (R-Bergen/Passaic).

Each entity, which owns a dormitory, is required to file within 120 days
(of enactment) a sprinkler installation plan, including costs and
projected completion dates, with the Division of Fire Safety in the
Department of Community Affairs. The plan must also stipulate that
installation be completed in four years.

Also, the legislation says that sprinkler installation projects, which
were begun up to 12 months before the bill\'s effective date, are
eligible to be included in the plan; the cost of the installation is
eligible to be included in any loan request.

Under the law, the Commissioner of Community Affairs may extend
timeframes for installation, if the timeframe would pose an unreasonable
hardship or the installation is impossible for reasons outside of the
entity\'s control.

The bill establishes the Dormitory Safety Trust Fund within the
educational facilities authority (EFA), which will be used to provide
loans to the schools to install the sprinkler systems: no-interest loans
to public or private institutions of higher education and two percent
loans to secondary schools, military and boarding schools, or other such
places. The State Treasurer is required to establish a program to
provide the loans.

Lastly, the bill amends a section of the Uniform Fire Safety Act to
provide that the DCA may establish fees and issue penalties against the
State, its agency, department or instrumentality, or an interstate
agency to obtain compliance with the act. As a result, DCA can issue
fees against public colleges and universities.

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the Governor filed a supplemental budget that
incorporates funding for sprinklers in dormitories statewide. The
current state budget ran out at the end of June, and at this point an
interim budget has been passed to fund state operations. The following
is the press release from the Governor's office. According to sources,
this legislation provides the Division of Capital Asset Maintenance and
Management with the authority to obtain funding. Campus Firewatch will
keep track of this effort in upcoming issues.

## CELLUCCI, SWIFT MAKE FIRE SAFETY A PRIORITY ON CAMPUS

Governor Paul Cellucci and Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift today
announced a plan to protect students at public colleges and universities
by committing to install fire sprinklers in dormitories constructed
before building codes required the fire suppression systems. Cellucci
and Swift have committed to investing \$50 million over four years to
ensure students and property are protected.

"The recent string of dormitory fires and loss of life in Massachusetts
and across the nation reminds us that we must be vigilant in ensuring
the safety of students at our colleges and universities," Cellucci said.
"While our children seek a quality education and prepare for promising
careers, we must make sure their living quarters are safe and that
tragedy is avoided."

"While our current building codes require the installation of fire
sprinklers in new dormitories, we must address those dormitories built
prior to the new rules," Swift said. "The Commonwealth will install the
sprinklers and shoulder the cost so we can continue to keep our colleges
and universities affordable to all students."

At Massachusetts 29 state colleges and universities, nearly
three-quarters of the dormitories lack fire sprinklers and are still
considered to meet the building code. Many dormitories were not required
to have sprinklers installed at the time they were originally
constructed.

"In 1999, there were 150 fires in dormitories in Massachusetts," said
State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. "Any one them could have been like
the recent Seton Hall fire in New Jersey that killed three students.
This initiative is a major step toward preventing such tragedies from
occurring here in the Commonwealth."

"The fire service of Massachusetts is extremely pleased with the
Governor and Lieutenant Governor's initiative. Dormitory fires pose a
great potential for loss of life. We must protect our investment in our
own future, by protecting students life safety while they are in our
care at our colleges and universities," said Devens Fire Chief Thomas E.
Garrity, president of the Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts.

Cellucci and Swift filed legislation to provide the Division of Capital
Asset Management and Maintenance the authority to fund fire sprinkler
installation in state dormitories. The buildings fall under the
authority of the State College and University of Massachusetts Building
Authorities, which would have to raise student fees to finance the
safety measures.

While smoke alarms give people early warning of fire, sprinkler systems
can help control the fire and save the life of a person unable to
escape.

From the Editor

One of the most sweeping pieces of legislation has emerged out of New
Jersey. On Wednesday, July 5, New Jersey Governor Whitman signed into
law legislation that mandates that within four years all dormitories and
chartered fraternities and sororities are to be equipped with sprinkler
systems.

This bill provides for a \$90 million fund that institutions can draw on
to assist them in installing these systems. New Jersey's efforts serve
as a model for developing and moving legislation forward that will
dramatically improve the level of fire safety at schools across the
state.

This bill came about because of a strong partnership between a variety
of organizations within the state. They came together for a common
cause-the safety of students. The article by Gary Lewis in this issue
describes the genesis of the New Jersey Coalition for Safe Student
Housing.

We must not lose sight, however, that sprinklers in and of themselves
are not the answer. Fire prevention is a complex issue. In his report
Fire Safe Student Housing-*A Guide for Campus Housing Administrators*,
Dr. Frederick Mowrer from the University of Maryland outlined the four
components to fire safety that he coined into the acronym
PODS-Prevention, Occupant Awareness, Detection, Suppression. For a
complete fire safety program, all four of these components must work
together to provide the safest possible environment.

We must not lose sight of the fact that if the fire does not even occur
in the first place, then the detection and suppression components are
not even called into play. It is critically important that we make sure
that everyone involved in campus fire safety stresses the importance of
prevention. It is a very simple equation:

No Fires=No Deaths

While I know that the goal of absolutely no fires is somewhat
idealistic, why not set the bar high? Why not strive for this?

As it was so aptly said, not so long ago, \"Some men see things as they
are and ask, \'why?\' I dream things that never were and ask, \'why
not?\'\" *Robert F. Kennedy (with thanks to George Bernard Shaw).*

Why not?

# UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

by Edith Curry

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is a land-, sea - and space-grant
university. Created in 1915 by the U.S. Congress, UAF employs nearly
3,200 full and part time faculty and staff and has more than 8,000
students. UAF also has its own rocket launch facility at Poker Flats.

In 1989, the State Fire Marshal's office started an inspection program
at that took two years and resulted in over 52 major facilities being
inspected and cited for code violations.

Once the on campus inspections were completed and with deferred
authority from the State Fire Marshal in hand, UAF set up an aggressive
fire prevention program and comprehensive plan of correction. The
University of Alaska Fairbanks\' overall fire prevention program
philosophy is that all accidents can be prevented and all levels of the
university must be committed to and participate in achieving this ideal.
At the University of Alaska Fairbanks, fire and the risks and effects of
fire are being addressed by the commitment to the following four
components.

Prevention. It is common knowledge that prevention is always the best
and most effective cure. With that in mind, UAF emphasizes daily
practices and procedures to limit the risk of occurrence and/or lessen
the severity of an occurrence to all staff, students and visitors of
UAF. Each member of the university has a role in preventing fires, which
can be thought of in two dimensions, limiting ignition opportunities,
and limiting fuel that could ignite and or increase the intensity of the
fire. Prevention is the most effective method of reducing the loss and
injury from fire, it is the most cost effective, and the easiest to
achieve on an individual basis. This is an on going process consisting
of plan reviews for all new construction and remodels, a fire and life
safety inspection program and employee and student training programs.

Engineering As with all things relating to the human element and/or the
natural world some occurrences of a hazardous nature will happen. UAF is
involved in a massive effort to bring its facilities up to current
design and codes as well as to limit the impact of such events as fires,
power outages, and earthquakes. Code compliant building designs contain
features to prevent ignition opportunities, reduce fuel loads and to
limit the spread of smoke and heat. Engineering also provides smoke and
fire detectors, sprinkler systems, smoke dampers and ventilation systems
that are effective 24 -hours a day, automatically.

Although the State of Alaska did not require the retroactive sprinkling
of any buildings, UAF choose to install sprinklers in all campus
residence halls (dormitories). This was completed in 1999. At this time,
the University is working on installing sprinklers in all apartment
units on campus. None of these units is required to be sprinkled by
code.

Under the code correction program, the University has been installing
fire alarm and sprinklers systems in all of the classroom and research
facilities. In addition to installing sprinkler systems in all the
campus residence halls, state of the art fire alarm systems were also
installed. As with any other University campus, false alarms were a
major problem. Ten years ago, the fire department would respond to
450-500 false alarms per year, the majority of them malicious. Last year
the fire department responded to 63 false alarms with only 11 of them
malicious.

The new fire alarm systems being installed in all campus facilities are
self-addressable systems. Dispatch receives the alarm via a computer
that gives the exact address of the activated device. This information
is relayed to the responding crew.

Individuals who cause a false alarm or tamper with life safety equipment
are fined a minimum of \$250. If the fire department does not know who
activated the alarm then the residence hall is fined. The University
Fire department falls under FLSA or the Fair Labor Standards Act and if
they break sleep time, an additional 8 hours must be paid to each
firefighter on shift. Therefore, any alarm that occurs between 2 am and
4 am will result in additional charges. These additional costs will be
added to the \$250. In those cases, the bill will be closer to \$900.
Depending upon the actions of the individuals who were involved in
causing the alarm, the University Police Dept. may also file criminal
charges against them. This will result in fines beyond what is charged
by the fire department.

In the past, the University also had a large number of false alarms
caused by equipment malfunctions. Those systems were prioritized and the
University has repaired or replaced the systems with the new
\"addressable\" fire alarm systems. The University also hired two full
time alarm technicians to maintain the fire alarm systems. Protocols
have been put in place for maintenance workers or contractors that need
to work in areas where there are active alarms. If workers or
contractors fail to follow the protocols and activate the alarm system,
they are also subject to fines.

At the start of each semester, students are advised that if they
accidentally hit a detector or activate the system to call the
911-dispatch center immediately and let them know what happened. The
fire department can then be downgraded. The student is instructed to
wait for the Battalion Chief so that the fire department can ensure that
the system has been properly reset. There is no fine for these types of
events.

In our public areas, Stopper II's have been installed over the pull
stations. This literally eliminated all false alarms during public
events on campus

Exit or remove lives at risk from danger. At UAF life safety is, and
always will be, a higher priority than property. The people of this
university\'s community are it\'s most important (and expensive) asset.
In the event of fire emergency, or notification of a fire emergency, all
individuals should exit the area immediately. Evacuation to an area of
safe refuge and/or building may be necessary. All of our training
programs emphasize that all building occupants must exit the building.
We do not want anyone to try to fight the fire. The fire department will
respond and take whatever action is necessary.

The University will rely on manual suppression efforts as a very last
resort to handle a fire incident. At no time shall individuals place
themselves in jeopardy attempting to extinguish a fire. These efforts
are to be performed only by trained personnel that are fully equipped
and have sufficient resources to effectively and safely contain and then
mitigate the fire incident.

The University has also been progressive in other areas. Magnetic locks
were installed on the rear doors of all the residence halls to provide a
higher level of safety for the students. In 1995, the University began a
program to remove the majority of fire extinguishers from residence
halls and classrooms buildings that were fully sprinkled and equipped
with a state of the art addressable fire alarms system. Although the
University would like to completely remove the fire extinguishers in
certain buildings, the State Fire Marshal is not comfortable with that
action. After reading the May 2000 issue of Firehouse and the article by
Francis Brannigan, it appears that others are now questioning the need
for fire extinguishers in fully sprinkled and alarmed buildings.

None of this progress would have been possible were it not for the team
effort between the University Fire Marshal, the Director of Facilities
Services and the UAF Administration. Changing codes, new research needs,
limited funding and aging buildings will continue to provide a challenge
to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. However, the University has the
framework in place to handle these challenges.

UAF is served by a fire department located on campus. The University
Fire Department has a partnership with the Fairbanks North Star Borough
and serves a very large off campus fire district that includes a major
industrial area, an international airport, major highways, rivers,
businesses and residential community. The University Fire Department is
unique in that it has 10 career staff members, but all of the
firefighters are full time students. The students work 24 on and 48 off.
The department operates three ALS ambulances, three engines, two ladders
including a 135' and a rescue boat. The students are well versed in all
aspects of emergency services operations and the department has earned
an ISO Class 2.

Curry is currently the fire marshal for the University of Alaska
Fairbanks, the director of codes and safety as well as an assistant fire
chief with the university fire dept. She has been in the fire service
for over 20 years and is a former deputy state fire marshal. She has
been an adjunct instructor in the fire science program for over 17 years
and is the chief of one of Alaska\'s

hazardous materials regional response teams. She is also a volunteer
assistant chief with a local combination department where she oversees
training and EMS. She can be reached at 1-907-474-7681, or via email at
fneic@uaf.edu.

The following letter was sent to all members of the United States
Senate, asking them to support Senate Bill 2100, the College Fire
Prevention Act. Campus Firewatch encourages you to contact your senator
([www.senate.gov](http://www.senate.gov/)) and ask that they support
this important legislation.

### June 13, 2000

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to ask that you join us in cosponsoring S. 2100, the
College Fire Prevention Act. If enacted, this bi-partisan legislation
would provide federal grants for the installation of fire sprinkler
systems in college and university dormitories and fraternity and
sorority houses. These entities would be required to produce matching
funds equal to one-half of the cost.

We became interested in this legislation due to the tragic fire that
occurred at a Seton Hall University dormitory on January 19^th^ of this
year. Sadly, three freshman died. Fifty-four students, two South Orange
firefighters and two South Orange police officers were injured.
Unfortunately, the Seton Hall fire was not the first of its kind. And it
reminded many people in North Carolina of a deadly fire that occurred in
a fraternity house on Mother's Day and Graduation Day at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996. This fire killed five college
juniors and injured three others. Neither the Seton Hall dormitory nor
the Chapel Hill fraternity house was equipped with a sprinkler system.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates that annually there
are approximately 1,800 documented fires in college dormitories,
fraternity and sorority houses with a yearly average of 69 injuries and
\$8.1 million in property damage.

According to the Department of Education, a record number of students
are enrolled in colleges and universities. Approximately 14.9 million
students enrolled for the 1999 fall semester, a 10 percent increase over
the past decade. An increase in the number of fire-related emergencies
at colleges and universities has accompanied the surge in enrollment.
The number one cause of these fires is arson or suspected arson. The
second leading cause of college building fires is cooking, while the
third leading cause is smoking. We have attached a summary report
detailing fatal college/university dormitory and fraternity/sorority
house fires reported to U.S. fire departments since 1973. Also attached
is a list of fire marshals and university administrators who support
this legislation.

Sprinklers save lives. And our measure could provide the boost needed to
install sprinklers in many colleges and universities that otherwise
could not afford them. For example, in North Carolina it has been
estimated that the cost to install sprinklers in the state's public
college and university dorms is \$57.5 million. Given how much it is
going to cost North Carolina, we think it's clear that the \$100 million
that this measure authorizes is just a drop in the bucket. But our hope
is that by providing this small incentive we can encourage more colleges
to institute a comprehensive review of their dorm's fire safety and to
install sprinklers. All they need is a helping hand. With this modest
effort, we can help prevent the needless and tragic loss of young lives.

This bill authorizes \$100 million for this matching program with local
entities. We urge you to join us in cosponsoring this important
bi-partisan legislation. If you would like to do so, or have any
questions about S. 2100, please contact Crystal Bennett at 4-3154. Thank
you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Senator John Edwards Senator Frank Lautenberg

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Senator Robert Torricelli Senator Spencer Abraham

Campus Fire Log

April 10, 2000 (Update)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA

Officials have ruled the fire that occurred on April 10, 2000, that
killed a female student was caused by "self-inflicted thermal burns,"
according to her death certificate. The student died on April 14, 2000.
The fire occurred in her dormitory room at MIT.

April 27, 2000

Catholic University of America

Washington, DC

*NOTE: This information was provided by Louis Alar from CUA*

A fire occurred at The Catholic University of America\'s (CUA) Spellman
Hall on April 27, 2000 at 1050 hrs. A maintenance worker on a routine
repair job noticed smoke coming from a third floor dormitory room. He
notified authorities of the fire via a portable radio. The fire alarm
was activated by an RA as she was evacuating the building. Approximately
100 students were evacuated at the time of the fire. No injuries were
reported.

The 1971 five-story dormitory houses a maximum of 275 students. It is
equipped with a fire alarm system that is monitored 24 hours a day by
the CUA Department of Public Safety. There are no sprinklers or
standpipes in the facility.

The fire was contained to the room of origin by the District of Columbia
Fire Department. The interior of the room and contents suffered heavy
damage from the heat, soot and smoke. The forth and fifth floor received
moderate smoke damage while the second floor received minor water
damage.

The occupant of the room stated that the only appliance she used before
leaving the room was a hair dryer. She also stated that she was not sure
if she left the hair dryer on the bed or dresser. Based on the available
information from interviews and a thorough investigation on the scene;
the District of Columbia Fire Department believes that the most likely
cause of this fire was bedding material accidentally ignited by a hot
electrical appliance (hair dryer).

June 8, 2000

Columbia University

New York, NY

A fire occurred at the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. The fire was located on
the top (fifth) floor of the building and occurred at 4:45 p.m. School
officials said that the fire was caused by hot work being done in the
area of origin. The initial damage estimate was \$15,000-\$20,000.

June 8, 2000

Millikin University

Decatur, IL

The following information was obtained from news stories and an
interview with the Decatur Fire Department by Campus Firewatch.

A fire in an off-campus fraternity killed one male student. There were
21 people in side of the Kappa Sigma fraternity building when the fire
broke out at 4:21 a.m.

The building had been built in 1927 and was four stories (three floors
plus an attic). The fir occurred in the third floor commons area. There
were two people on the floor where the fire occurred, and it trapped
both of them in their rooms. One was able to call out on a cellular
telephone, and the operator kept him on the line until the fire
department was able to rescue him. The other person died. The fire was
limited to the commons area with extensive smoke damage.

The building was not equipped with a sprinkler system. Initial reports
are that there were hardwired smoke detectors in the corridors with
single station smoke detectors in the individual rooms. According to
press reports, this building had had a fire on March 27, 1986 that
caused heavy damage. That fire had been started by an electric blanket.

Resources

The National Fire Protection Association

There are a number of different resources available to the campus fire
safety professional that we are going to focus on in each issue. This
month we are going to provide a brief snapshot of the National Fire
Protection Association.

NFPA has recently started to move more of its material onto their web
site. Some of this material includes:

-   In addition to being able to purchase all of their products online,
    you can now download the codes and standards, for a fee, through the
    online catalog.

-   Fire investigations reports and summaries, and One-Stop Data Shop
    reports are also available online (some for free), although it is
    not a complete collection.

-   Several of their section newsletters are available online

-   An interesting feature such as "Fire Fact a Week"

-   The index from NFPA Journal

-   Selected articles from NFPA Journal

Within NFPA, there are specific areas that can provide detailed
information or assistance to the fire safety professional.

Fire Investigations

NFPA's fire investigations department provides the "real world" focus on
the success and failures of fire protection. Fire Investigations focuses
on "technically significant" incidents in order to provide the best
lessons learned possible for the fire protection community. Included
among these incidents are several dormitory fires, specifically Chapel
Hill, Franklin and Berkley.

Summaries of many of the reports are available, online, at the NFPA web
site. Copies of the reports can be purchased either through the NFPA
online catalog, or from the Charles S. Morgan library.

1-617-984-7263 (tel)

<investigations@nfpa.org>

Library

The Charles S. Morgan library at NFPA is one of the most comprehensive
collections of literature relating to fire protection in the world. This
collection has over 10,000 copies of books and reports available. The
staff is extremely knowledgeable and is able to provide a great deal of
support and assistance. They are a research library, and not a lending
library, so material cannot be checked out. However, they do provide a
great deal of research support. Some of their online support includes
access to the card catalog and bibliographies on specific topics.

1-617-984-7445 (tel)

library@npfa.org

Statistical Data

NFPA collects a great deal of statistical information on a wide variety
of subjects. The One-Stop Data Shop is your connection to this
information. They have reports on topics ranging from torch fires to the
one that is of most interest to our readers-"School, College, and
University Dormitories, and Fraternity and Sorority House Fires."

Some of the reports are available online, free of charge, while others
can be purchased directly from the Data Shop. In addition to their
standard reports, they will also prepare custom reports focusing on
specific issues of interest to a particular client.

You can download a listing of available reports from the NFPA web site.

1-617-984-7450 (tel)

<osds@nfpa.org>

Public Education

NFPA's Public Education Division provides the material and support for
fire prevention efforts. Some of their programs include Fire Prevention
Week, Risk Watch® and the Center for High Risk Outreach, among others.
Online resources include public service announcements and the complete
Fire Prevention Week media kit.

1-617-984-7285 (tel)

<education@nfpa.org>

Regional Operations

NFPA has six regional offices that serve to assist with issues relating
to NFPA and to support NFPA code adoption. NFPA also maintains an office
in Washington, DC, to work on federal legislative issues, as well as a
representative for the Asia/Pacific region. A listing of the regional
managers can be found on the NFPA web site.

For general inquiries and assistance, the following is the contact
information for NFPA:

NFPA

One Batterymarch Park

Quincy, MA 02269 USA

1-617-770-3000 (tel)

<webmaster@nfpa.org>

www.nfpa.org

# Legislation Update

In the aftermath of the two recent tragic fires at Seton Hall and
Bloomsburg, legislation has been filed at both the state and federal
levels. These bills are focusing on various aspects of the fire safety
issues relating to dormitories, Greek housing, and other
educational-related housing issues.

All of this legislation can be found on the Campus Firewatch web site at
[www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/). Follow the
links to the RESOURCE page.

# Federal Legislation

The progress of any of the federal legislation bill can be tracked,
online, through the Thomas Legislative Information website at
www.thomas.loc.gov.

College Fire Prevention Act

S2100

This bill has been proposed by Senators John Edwards (D-North Carolina)
and Senator Frank Lautenburg (D-New Jersey). The aim of this bill is to
require that all dormitories be equipped with automatic fire sprinklers.
The bill, at this stage, is proposing \$100,000,000 in federal funds
over a five-year period to support the installation. Institutions would
have to provide matching funds, which would be awarded using competitive
grants.

According to Senator Edwards office, no progress has been made on this
bill since the May issue of Campus Firewatch.

For more information on this bill, or to register your support, you can
contact the following offices:

Senator John Edwards\
United States Senate\
225 Dirksen Office Bldg.\
Washington, DC 20510\
(202) 224-3154 (tel)

senator@edwards.senate.gov

Senator Frank Lautenburg\
506 Senate Hart Building\
Washington, D.C. 20510\
(202) 224-4744\
Fax (202) 224-9707

<frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov>

Fire Safe Dorm Act of 2000

S2178 (Senate)

HR3831 (House)

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.

The bill proposes that institutions adopt plans to install sprinklers,
smoke detectors and flame-resistant furniture within ten years of the
adoption of the bill. Within six months of adoption of the bill, the
USFA would be required to establish standards for dormitory fire safety.

According to a spokesman for Representative Maloney, they are in the
process of moving the legislation through the appropriations process. An
additional representative, Steven LaTourette, (R-Ohio) has agreed to
co-sponsor the bill. This is important because it represents bi-partisan
support for the legislation.

For more information on these bills, or to register your support, you
can contact the following offices:

Senate: Senator Frank Lautenburg (D-New Jersey)\
506 Senate Hart Building\
Washington, D.C. 20510\
(202) 224-4744\
Fax (202) 224-9707

<frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov>

House: Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-New York)

2430 Rayburn House Office Building\
Washington, DC 20515\
phone - (202) 225-7944\
fax - (202) 225-4709

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

# State Legislation

# New Jersey

The status of these bills can be tracked at
[www.njleg.state.nj.us](http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/)

According to Assemblyman Kelley's office, Yesterday the appropriations
committee released that bill. Now it can go for a full vote before the
assembly. ...May 25^th^ will be voted on by the full house.

Came out of committee 10 to 0, so it has bipartisan support.

Governor has worked with her all along, but it should not be a problem.

45 days or the next legislative session.

Summer recess starts July 1^st^.

S891...merged seven bills together into one.

609-292-6000

Kathy

Governor's office

1006 hours

Communications office

Gene Herman

Governer is pleased that the bill is moving through the process. Prefer
a shorter implementation period, and will be discussin ghte issue with
the sponsors.

Deadline of no more than four years.

Gene Herman

Spokesman for the governor

609-777-2600

For more information on these bills, or to register your support, you
can contact the following offices:

Senate

Senator John A. Girgenti\
507 Lafayette Ave.

Hawthorne

NJ 07506

(973)-427-1229

sen.jagirgenti@worldnet.att.net

Senator Louis F. Kosco\
441 Market Street

Saddle Brook, NJ 07663

(201)-712-1221

Assembly

Assemblyman John V. Kelly\
371 Franklin Ave.

2nd Fl.

Nutley, NJ 07110

(973)-667-6123

asmkelly@njleg.state.nj.us

Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski\
3145 Bordentown Ave.

Suite B

Parlin, NJ 08859

(732)-316-1885

ASMWISNIEWSKI@njleg.state.nj.us

# Pennsylvania Bill

House Bill 2458, the Dormitory Automatic Sprinkler Act, was introduced
by Representative Michael McGeehan 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.

According to a spokesman from Representative Robert Belfanti, the
minority chairman of the House Labor Relations Committee, hearings
before the committee on this bill are scheduled for Wednesday, May 31,
2000. Testifying at the hearing will be:

5/23/00

Get ready to hold public hearings. Scheduled for 5/31/00. Labor
relations committee.

The hearing is taking place on May 31 in Harrisburg in front of the
House

Labor Relations Committee. The Committee Chairman is Rep. Joseph Gladeck

(R). The Minority Chairman is Rep. Robert Belfanti (D). House Bill 2458
is

sponsored by Rep. Mike McGeehan (D).

The committee is planning on holding this hearing as well as another one
on

the same subject as early as next month. The first step in the process
is

to have the legislation voted out of committee. After that it will need
to

see action in front of the entire House.

If you need additional info don\'t hesitate to ask!

Folks testifying are:

Tim Knisely-Senior Fire and Housing Inspector, Central Region Code

Administration

(814)231-3058

Chief Don Konkle (haven\'t confirmed the spelling of his last name)

President, Pennsylvania Fire Emergency Institute

Aus Marburger-President, Fire Protection Industries, Inc.

1765 Woodhaven Drive

Bensalem, PA 19020-7107

(215)245-1830

Fax(215)245-8819

Greg Mitchell-Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, State
System

of Higher Education and

720-4100

Don Sheaffer-Director of Facilities, State System of Higher Education

720-4115

For more information on this bill, or to register your support, you can
contact the following office:

Representative Michael McGeehan

221B South Office

Harrisburg, PA 17120

\(717\) 772-4029 (tel)

mcgeehan@pahouse.net

# Wisconsin Bill

A bill was recently passed in the Wisconsin Assembly that mandates
retrofit sprinkler installation in all University of Wisconsin high-rise
dormitories by the year 2006. It also requires that all future
dormitories, regardless of height, be equipped with automatic fire
sprinklers. The bill now moves to the Wisconsin Senate for action.

A fiscal estimate, prepared by the state government, on the cost of
implementation is available on the Campus Firewatch web site.

Assembly Bill 203

Passed is officially law

April 11th signed into law

<http://www.legis.state.wi.us/>

For more information on this bill, or to register your support, you can
contact the following office:

State Representative Rob Kreibich

107 West State Capitol

P.O. Box 8952

Madison, WI 53708

\(608\) 266-0660

rep.kreibich@legis.state.wi.us

New Jersey Coalition for Safe Student Housing

by Gary Lewis

Following the tragic, preventable fire at Seton Hall University last
January, representatives of the New Jersey Fire Prevention & Protection
Association, representing fire officials and inspectors statewide, and
Sprinkler Fitters' and Apprentices' Local Union #696 initiated
discussions surrounding what might be done to prevent such a needless
loss of life in the future. Spurred in part by press reports after the
fire which included statements by the Governor that she would "look
closely" at legislation requiring automatic sprinkler systems in
dormitories, a coalition was formed comprised of all of the major fire
service organizations within the state, sprinkler installer unions,
contractors and other construction labor organizations. The group
settled upon the name "Coalition for Safe Student Housing".

The Coalition set up a steering committee and developed an action plan
and budget with an objective of mandatory retrofit sprinkler
legislation. Statewide outreach was done to all state, regional and
local fire service and labor organizations, from which more than 1.5
million registered voters and their families were enrolled. A lobbyist
was retained, as well as an advertising agency, and part-time staff
assigned to coordinate communications and information distribution.
Meetings with the Senate President and Assembly Speaker were arranged,
which ultimately were very productive in gaining passage of the
legislation.

An advertising campaign was developed, including full-page ad placement
in the Star-Ledger, the largest New Jersey newspaper. Five thousand
posters were printed which have been distributed by the fire service
throughout the state to be placed in high profile public locations, and
a number of smaller, more targeted ads were put together and reproduced
for distribution to the Legislature. The steering committee, comprised
of the Fire Prevention & Protection Association, Locals 696 and 669, the
Sprinkler Industry Promotion Fund and the National Fire Sprinkler
Association, met a number of times to discuss progress, planning and
strategy. Representatives of all groups appeared at many Senate and
Assembly hearings to testify and met with the Governor's staff to help
craft the final bill version.

The final bill passed the Senate 39-0 on Tuesday, 6/27 and the Assembly
is expected to vote on it on Thursday (6/29). The governor has promised
to sign the bill when it reaches her desk.

This venture has been a textbook example of the fire service and private
industry working together to achieve a mutual goal, and should serve as
a model for other states. The Association and other members of the
Coalition have expressed a mutual desire to continue forward together
even after passage of the legislation to do even more to enhance life
safety in buildings.

Gary Lewis is the chief inspector for the City of Summit, New Jersey. He
can be reached at 1-908- 273-6408 or via e-mail at
glewis@cityofsummit.org.