Campus Firewatch

May 2000 Issue

©2000 Campus Firewatch

The Teachable Moment

On May 12, 1996, five students were killed at a fraternity fire in
Chapel Hill. This incident, which occurred on graduation day and
Mother's Day, has become a rallying point for those promoting stronger
fire safety in student housing.

One of the most strident advocates has been Fire Chief Dan Jones of the
Chapel Hill Fire Department. Chief Jones has been a longtime supporter
of improving the protection in both on- and off-campus housing, and this
tragic fire provided him with even more impetus to make change happen.
He has been instrumental in having legislation passed requiring
sprinklers to be retrofit into fraternities and sororities in Chapel
Hill, and has played a role in the recently introduced federal
legislation that will address all college housing.

In an interview with Campus Firewatch, Jones recounted his efforts over
the years to get this important legislation implemented, and the
terrible toll that had to occur before it could become a reality.

"First, we have to turn the clock back," said Jones when he started to
relate how they were able to implement such a strong sprinkler
ordinance. In 1993, Jones made his first attempt at introducing a
sprinkler ordinance. However, there was strong opposition to it from the
building interests, and unfortunately it did not pass.

Three years later, in 1996, a fire occurred at the Phi Gamma Delta
fraternity at the University of North Carolina. As the death toll grew
throughout the morning of the fire, Jones realized that the time was
right to try again to push through legislation requiring all
fraternities and sororities be sprinklered.

According to Jones, during recovery operations after the fire was out,
the city manager came up to him and told him "this was the time to try
again," and that he would support the chief in his efforts to get it
through. Jones knew exactly what had to be done at that moment. It was
time to send the message home to the media, the public and the
politicians.

Throughout the day, whenever there was a media interview, Jones and his
staff kept stressing that this tragedy could have been avoided if the
building had been equipped with automatic fire sprinklers. "The media
took this and ran with it," said Jones. "With the support of the city
manager and the mayor, the ordinance was placed at the top of the city's
agenda."

Because North Carolina is not a home rule state, it was necessary to go
to the state legislature to get authorization to pass a sprinkler
ordinance. The fire occurred in May, and by September all of the
hearings had been held, which was a record time, according to Jones. The
council passed a requirement for retrofit in fraternities, sororities
and any new construction in multifamily occupancies that were three
units or greater, or that were greater than 5,000 feet. "This time,"
said Jones, "the ordinance passed without opposition."

There is a five year timeframe in which the fraternities and sororities
must all have sprinkler systems installed, or they will lose their
certificates of occupancy. The deadline is September, 2001, and all of
the sororities, with only a couple of exceptions, have their sprinkler
systems in place.

Unfortunately, it is not the same with the fraternities. They were very
cooperative for the first two years, and then that cooperation tapered
off. The lesson taught by the Phi Gamma Delta fire had been forgotten by
today's students.

As an example, Jones recounted an incident where the furnace had broken
down in a fraternity, and was apparently not being repaired. "They
bought thirteen space heaters and had them running to keep the place
warm. We received a call from a parent and did a surprise inspection.
The furnace was fixed." In another case, a fraternity was having a party
with a "jungle" theme, so they purchased bamboo and were decorating
their basement with it for the party. Fortunately, the fire department's
fire marshal learned about this and was able to correct it before the
party.

Immediately after the fire in 1996, Jones thought that he had a
four-year window of time to make any changes because the fire would stay
in people's minds. In retrospect, he said, "It is a two and a half-year
window to make any changes because of the institutional memory. As the
student body changes, it becomes another story in the university
history. A lot of the people that dealt with it have moved on, and the
commitment also dwindled."

Chief Jones concluded by stressing that you must always be vigilant.
"You have to be constantly diligent in student housing, because the
conditions can change from day to day. You literally cannot assume
because you inspected them within the past month that conditions are
still the same."

The one lesson that Jones would like to pass on is that "when you have a
significant fire, you have to use that opportunity to send the message.
'Teachable moments' is a concept that needs to be used to leverage some
progress. We don't do enough of it in the fire service, we don't educate
enough through tragedies. When you can do a press conference with smoke
rising in the background, you get the attention that you need."

Chief Dan Jones is the fire chief in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and
the editor-in-chief for National Fire Rescue Magazine. He can be reached
at <djones@nfrmag.com>.

A copy of the Chapel Hill sprinkler ordinance can be found on Campus
Firewatch's Resource page at
[www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/).

USFA/NFPA College Fire Safety Forum

On August 25^th^ and 26^th^, 1999, a forum focusing on college fire
safety was held at the headquarters of the National Fire Protection
Association. Sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration and coordinated
by NFPA, this forum brought together a cross-section of people involved
in college fire safety. The purpose of this forum was to provide a focal
point for discussing the fire safety efforts that are going on, across
the nation, and was the first of its kind that brought a diversity of
concerned parties together.

Among those attending the forum were college administrators, fire
chiefs, insurance professionals and fire marshals. Representatives also
included the fraternity community, USFA, NFPA and college fire safety
specialists, among others. This diversity of people allowed for a range
of views and needs to be discussed. The attendees shared their extensive
experience, some of which they learned the hard way through tragic fires
in their institutions or communities.

## Recommendations

After two days of discussions and presentations, there were three
specific recommendations that emerged which the participants believed
would help move the issues of campus fire safety forward.

**Umbrella organization** Everyone believed that there are very good
efforts in fire safety being made across the country at many colleges
and universities. What is lacking, however, is a national focus on the
issues of campus fire safety. What the participants expressed is the
need for an umbrella organization to be developed that could serve as a
clearinghouse for information and coordination. They strongly believe
that someone needs to assume a leadership role in this area and to begin
drawing together all of the necessary resources, information and
organizations.

**Develop a toolbox** Many organizations have excellent material that
they have developed for their own use at their own institutions. Others
are searching for material, and are "making do" with brochures and
videos that aren't exactly appropriate for the campus environment. The
participants thought that it would be a major step forward if a toolbox
of material could be developed containing ready-made material such as
lesson plans, brochures, videos, posters, handbooks, model legislation,
and press releases. The toolbox would be designed to take advantage of
existing material, such as the "Get Out and Stay Alive" video developed
by the Eau Claire Fire Department or the "Ready to Respond" video
produced by the University of Maryland.

**Develop a networking mechanism** The participants believed that if a
formalized networking mechanism existed for sharing information,
experiences, successes and failures that people would be able to
maximize their own effectiveness.

# Actions since the forum

Unfortunately, since the forum, there has not been any significant
progress made on the three recommendations that were brought out in the
final report. USFA has reported that they do not have any funding
available to support the development of a toolbox, and that there does
not appear to be any efforts in the works to have a follow-up forum.

In the area of a toolbox, Campus Firewatch has set up a Resource page
where there is a rapidly-growing collection of material that can be used
for training and educating students, staff, administration and parents.
Included on this page are legislative updates, lesson plans, PowerPoint
presentations, handouts and fact sheets, among others. If you go to
[www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/), and click
on the link to "RESOURCES" you can view the complete list of material
that is available, free of charge.

The NFPA is helping to keep these efforts continuing by sponsoring a
session on college fire safety at its Fall Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
The meeting will take place on November 11 to 15, 2000. A session on
college fire safety, being organized by the Education Section, is
scheduled to be held during this meeting. More information is available
from the NFPA by visiting their web site at
[www.nfpa.org](http://www.nfpa.org/).

Campus Firewatch has also stepped forward to help with the networking
recommendation by setting up a listserv. By going to our website at
[www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/), you can
become a member of the list and have a chance to interact with other
professionals and receive timely information directly from the staff of
Campus Firewatch.

Another listserv is the International Association of Campus Fire Safety
Officials. Run out of the University of Miami, Ohio, it provides a
mechanism for sharing information among practitioners and others
interested in campus fire safety. You can get more information on this
list by contacting Randy Horman at hormanrl@muohio.edu.

Many people are hoping that this forum is not the last, but instead is
the first of an ongoing effort. If you have any questions regarding the
forum, or would like to register your support for ongoing activities in
this area, please contact us via email at
publisher@campus-firewatch.com.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Ed Comeau coordinated the College Fire Safety Forum for NFPA and wrote
the final report. A copy of this report can be downloaded from the
RESOURCE page at Campus-Firewatch's website (www.campus-firewatch.com).

From the Editor

Fires at colleges and universities are not rare events. On a regular
basis, there are fires in dormitories, Greek housing, academic buildings
and other facilities. According to the National Fire Protection
Association, there are an average of 1,600 fires per year in
dormitories, sororities and fraternities.

There have been enough tragedies occurring in these facilities to spur
our legislators to look at the issue of college fire safety on a
nationwide basis. The two recent tragedies, coming exactly two months
apart, at Seton Hall, New Jersey, and Bloomsburg University,
Pennsylvania, only served to reinforce the need for stronger efforts.

> At a forum recently held at the National Fire Protection Association
> headquarters in Massachusetts, experts from across the nation were
> brought together to discuss the common problems faced in providing a
> fire-safe environment at our nation's colleges and universities. This
> forum, which was sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration, was the
> first of its kind, and I had the opportunity to be closely involved in
> this forum.

One of the comments expressed by all of the participants, was about the
difficulty networking with other professionals across the country. There
is a wealth of information out there, and a lot of institutions are
doing excellent fire safety work that they are willing to share with
their peers. However, because of the lack of an established network,
this valuable information is not always easily available, or even known
about.

The goal of this newsletter is to help facilitate the exchange of
information. By joining together to share information and resources, we
can all work towards making the campuses and their communities as
fire-safe as possible. In these days of shrinking budgets, this will
help everyone make the most of the limited dollars available.

How do we plan on doing this?

By listening to you, the reader. The campus fire safety professional.
The college housing administrator. The fire department. The parents. We
need to know what you need to do your job better.

Issues will include model legislation, updates on pending legislation
and code changes. Interviews with noted experts in the field. Profiles
of successful programs. Information on recent incidents across the
country where you can get "lessons learned" that will help you in your
efforts.

We are going to work on harnessing the power of the Internet in helping
you to provide the level of fire safety that you need for your students.
Through this newsletter, and its companion site,
www.campus-firewatch.com, we are going to provide you with the
information you need.

I encourage you to let us know what you would like to see in future
issues. Visit the Resources section of our web site. There is a wealth
of information there, and it is growing regularly. Feel free to send us
any contributions that you believe others would find useful.

Ed Comeau, the publisher of Campus Firewatch, is the former chief fire
investigator for the National Fire Protection Association. He began his
involvement in campus fire safety as a fire fighter with the Amherst,
Massachusetts, fire department while pursuing his degree in civil
engineering. He can be reached at <publisher@campus-firewatch.com>.

# Legislation Update

Legislation relating to campus fire safety has been filed at both the
state and federal levels. These bills are focusing on various aspects of
the fire safety issues in dormitories, Greek housing, and other
education-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 Lautenberg (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, Senator Spencer Abraham
(R-Michigan) has agreed to co-sponsor this legislation. This bi-partisan
support for the College Fire Prevention Act demonstrates how important
it is to address the safety of our nation's students.

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 Lautenberg\
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.

This bill is currently working its way through the appropriations
process. According to a spokesman from Representative Maloney's office,
Representative Steven LaTourette

(R-Ohio) has signed on as a co-sponsor. This is significant because it
demonstrates the bi-partisan support that this legislation needs.

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

Senate: Senator Frank Lautenberg (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/)

There were seven different bills introduced following the Seton Hall
fire. Recently, all of them were merged into one bill, Senate Bill 891.

UPDATE HERE

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

SenGirgenti@njleg.state.nj.us

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 for 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:

Tim Knisely

Senior Fire and Housing Inspector, Central Region Code Administration

Chief Don Konkle

President, Pennsylvania Fire Emergency Institute

Aus Marburger

President, Fire Protection Industries, Inc.

Greg Mitchell

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, State System of Higher
Education

Don Sheaffer

Director of Facilities, State System of Higher Education

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 signed into law in Wisconsin 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.

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

For more information on this law 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

# 

# Resources and Organizations

This column provides you with a list of resources and organizations that
can assist you in your mission of developing a fire-safe college
community. Each issue will focus on a different area-Greek, risk
management, fire service organizations, etc. If you have any
organizations or resources that you feel should be included, please
forward them to us at <publisher@campus-firewatch.com>.

**Greek Life**

The following are a list of organizations relating to Greek life at
universities and colleges. The synopsis of each organization is taken
right from their web sites. Links to these sites, and more, can be found
by going to the Campus Firewatch website
([www.campus-firewatch.com](http://www.campus-firewatch.com/)) and
following the links to RESOURCES.

This list is for informational purposes only. Campus Firewatch does not
necessarily endorse any of these organizations, their websites, or the
information contained on them.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Greek Fire Safety \@UNC

http://www.unc.edu/depts/greek/fire.html

This is a page devoted to fire safety within the Greek system at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. It lists the fraternities and
sororities that had perfect inspections, as well as a wealth of fire
safety information that they can use.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

GreekPages.com

[www.greekpages.com/index2.cfm](http://www.greekpages.com/index2.cfm)

Our purpose is simple: to provide useful services and good information
to fraternity and sorority members, their alumni, pledges, prospective
members and those interested in Greek life. We believe that the Internet
provides bountiful opportunities to further greek life across chapter,
campus and organizational lines and to use this medium to promote what
is finest in the greek tradition and to help build a more solid
foundation for the future.

Association of Fraternity Advisors

3901 West 86th Street, Suite 165

Indianapolis, IN 46268

1-317-876-1632 (tel)

1-317-876-3981 (fax)

[www.fraternityadvisors.org/](http://www.fraternityadvisors.org/)

<info@fraternityadvisors.org>

The Association of Fraternity Advisors exists to support and stimulate
persons who advise fraternities and sororities in higher education and
to enhance the positive influence of the fraternity and sorority
experience in student development by providing definition and
recognition for the profession, encouraging research, establishing
networks among related interests and creating forums for interaction and
learning.

North American Interfraternity Conference

3901 W. 86yh Street

Suite 390

Indianapolis, IN 46268-1791

1-317-872-1112 (tel)

1-317-872-1134 (fax)

<nic@nicindy.org>

[www.nicindy.org](http://www.nicindy.org/)

The North-American Interfraternity Conference, a federation of 66 men\'s
national and international fraternities, is headquartered in
Indianapolis, Indiana.\
\
The NIC provides a variety of services to support and enhance the
fraternity movement throughout the United States and Canada, including:

-   Educational conferences for undergraduates, alumni, and fraternity
    staff

-   Videotapes on a variety of contemporary fraternity issues

-   Printed workbooks and manuals to assist chapters and IFCs/IGCs

-   Campus consultations where NIC staff visit campuses and present
    educational programs and provide advice on a number of different
    topics

National Pan-Hellenic Council

International Headquarters\
Memorial Hall W108\
Bloomington, IN 47405\
(812) 855-8820 (tel)

<gordonm@indiana.edu>

[www.nphc.org/index2.htm](http://www.nphc.org/index2.htm)

The National Pan-Hellenic Council shall serve as the official
coordinating agent of the nine (9) constituent member Greek letter
fraternities and sororities in the furtherance of their program unity on
college and university campuses and within the several communities
wherein graduate and/or alumni(ae) chapters of said fraternities and
sororities are located.

National Panhellenic Conference

NPC Headquarters\
3905 Vincennes Road, Suite 105\
Indianapolis, IN 46268\
(317) 872-3185

[www.npcwomen.org/](http://www.npcwomen.org/)

<npccentral@npcwomen.com>

National Panhellenic Conference, founded in 1902, is an umbrella
organization for 26 inter/national women\'s fraternities and sororities.
Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of
college women and alumnae. Members are represented on over 620 college
and university campuses in the United States and Canada and in over
5,300 alumnae associations, making up over 3 million sorority women in
the world.

Center for the Study of the College Fraternity\
Franklin Hall 206\
Bloomington, IN 47405

\(812\) 855-1228 (tel)

<cscf@indiana.edu>

www.indiana.edu/\~cscf/

The Center for the Study of the College Fraternity was formed in 1979 to
encourage and support research of the highest quality and educational
significance on the role of the fraternity and sorority in higher
education. The Center fulfills this mission in part through research
grants, publication of monographs and the Update newsletter, and the
indexing and collection of completed research projects.

# College Fire Log

The following are brief summaries of incidents that have occurred in
college occupancies. Unless noted otherwise, they have been taken from
press accounts and have not been verified for accuracy. Several of these
incidents will be profiled in future issues of Campus Firewatch.

If you have an incident that you would like to contribute for this
column, please contact us at <publisher@campus-firewatch.com>.

January 19, 2000

Seton Hall University

East Orange, NJ

**The Fire:** On Wednesday, January 19, 2000, a fire occurred at
approximately 4:30 a.m. in a common area on the third floor of Boland
Hall at Seton Hall University. The Seton Hall University Public Safety
Department responded and notified the South Orange Fire Department of
the fire. The fire was brought under control within 10 minutes of the
first arrival of fire units from South Orange. As of 1/28/00, the cause
of the fire has not been announced.

**Fatalities and Injuries:** Three male freshmen, all 18 years of age,
died. Fifty-four students, two South Orange firefighters and two South
Orange police officers were injured. As of Wednesday, January 26, 2000,
four students are still hospitalized.

**The Building:** Seton Hall University is located in South Orange, New
Jersey. The building where the fire occurred was a six-story, 350 room,
structure, built in 1952 that housed approximately 600 students. It was
equipped with smoke alarms, pull stations and fire extinguishers. There
was also a standpipe system in the building that was used by the fire
department in suppressing the fire. There were no reports of a sprinkler
system in the building. An independent contractor had tested the smoke
alarms and pull stations the day before the fire.

Since September 1, 1999, there had been 18 alarms at Boland Hall.

On Friday, January 28, 2000, the University received an email reportedly
threatening another fire. As a result, a computer was seized and an
investigation was initiated.

Seton Hall University reported that five students have withdrawn as a
direct result of the fire.

Because of this fire, legislation has been introduced in the New Jersey
legislature regarding the installation of fire sprinklers in
dormitories. More information can be found in the Legislation Update
column in this issue, or by visiting the Campus Firewatch website and
following the link to the NEWS page.

More information on this fire will appear in a future issue of Campus
Firewatch.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Saturday, January 22, 2000

Heidelberg College

Tiffin, Ohio

A fire on the top floor of a three-story dormitory forced the evacuation
of 63 students. The 93-year-old building suffered significant water
damage from fire fighting operations.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Saturday, February 5, 2000

Clemson University

Clemson, South Carolina

(NOTE: Information for this story was obtained from news stories and
interviews conducted by Campus Firewatch.)

At approximately 6:30 a.m., a fire was detected on the fourth floor of a
six-story dormitory at Clemson University. The cause of the fire was
determined to be an unattended candle. Use of candles in the dormitories
is against university policy.

According to an interview by Campus Firewatch with the Clemson fire
marshal, Chris Caracciolo, they have an aggressive program in place for
sprinklering dormitories. They currently have 19 dormitories, seven of
which are completely sprinklered. The remainder are equipped with
partial sprinklers that are being upgraded to full sprinkler systems.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Friday, February 11, 2000

Atlantic Union College

Lancaster, Massachusetts

(NOTE: Information for this story was obtained from news stories and
interviews conducted by Campus Firewatch.)

A fire in a three-story, wood frame, dormitory completely destroyed the
building. The building had 13 apartments, 11 of which were occupied by
students and their families. A university official reported that there
were about 20 to 25 people living in the building.

In an interview with college officials by Campus Firewatch, they
reported that the fire started in an apartment on the first floor. The
resident was cooking, and the grease ignited. They suppressed it with
fire extinguishers, and since they thought the fire was out, did not
call the fire department. However, the fire had already extended into
the walls around the stove and then it spread vertically through the
building.

According to news reports, one of the third floor residents went
downstairs, saw the fire, went back up to his apartment and returned
with a fire extinguisher to fight the fire. He then tried to get back up
to his apartment to retrieve some personal belongings, but was unable to
do so because of the fire.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Sunday, February 6, 2000

Southern Illinois University

Carbondale, Illinois

An unattended candle set an SIU dormitory room on fire. The extent of
the damage is unknown at this time. According to press reports, there
were 103 false alarms last semester with at least 22 of them deliberate
activations.

Students were slow in reacting because of the number of false alarms, it
was reported in the press.

It was also reported that the university does not have a policy against
candles.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Wednesday, February 9, 2000

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

A fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon, at about 3:30 p.m., in a room
on the 13^th^ floor of a high rise dormitory. The fire was suppressed by
the operation of a sprinkler head. The cause of the fire, according to
press reports, was electrical. There were no reports of any injuries or
fatalities.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Saturday, February 19, 2000

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

(NOTE: Information for this story was obtained from news stories and
interviews conducted by Campus Firewatch.)

A fire occurred at an off-campus fraternity. According to an interview
by Campus Firewatch with Fire Prevention Officer Dragoo from the Pullman
Fire Department, the cause of the fire was determined to be a candle
that was ignited when a blanket was tossed over on top of it by a
sleeping occupant. The three occupants in the room woke up and found the
blanket and the back of the couch on fire. They were able to stomp out
the fire on the blanket, but were unable to extinguish the couch.

The building was a three-story structure. One portion was constructed in
1938, and an addition was added in 1968. The building was equipped with
a fire alarm system that automatically transmitted a signal to a
monitoring company. The building was not equipped with an automatic fire
sprinkler system.

The fire occurred on the top floor of the new addition.

For up to an hour after the fire, occupants were being removed from the
building. One occupant was found bound in a bedroom. Another was removed
a half-hour later while attempting to silence the fire alarm system
because he wanted to go back to bed.

Just minutes before this fire, the fire department had responded to
another fraternity where a candle had started a fire. Fortunately, the
occupants were able to extinguish this fire before any significant
damage could be done.

Dragoo reported that there is a significant problem with false alarms in
the off-campus fraternities. He stated that there had been 259 false
alarms in these buildings.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

March 7, 2000

University of Michigan

Minneapolis, Michigan

A fire in an art building at the University of Michigan at 9:00 p.m.
started in a locker containing oily rages and linseed oil. A student
noticed the fire, activated a manual pull station, but the system failed
to activate. Students attempted to unsuccessfully extinguish the fire by
aiming fire extinguishers through the locker vents. One student donned a
respirator that she uses for art projects.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

March 7, 2000

Ohio University

Athens, Ohio

A fire in Bromley Hall dormitory was started by a cigarette that was
discarded into a trashcan. The trashcan's contents were ignited, which
in turn ignited the bed. The occupant was not in the room when the fire
broke out.

The fire department was notified at 12:30 p.m. by an individual that
heard the room's smoke detector. A maintenance worker also heard the
smoke detector, entered the fifth floor room and then activated a manual
pull station. The fire department was already enroute at this point in
time.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Friday, March 10, 2000

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

A candle started a fire in a resident assistant's room. The occupant had
lit the candle while praying, and then looked up and saw a stereo on
fire. The fire damaged the stereo, a mattress and the wall, and the
remainder of the room suffered smoke damage.

One of the building residents, when interviewed about burning a candle
or incense, said that she "usually blows it out if I'm leaving the
room."

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Wednesday, March 15, 2000

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

A fire at 1:30 a.m. on the first floor of Hoekje Hall gutted the room.
Approximately 300 students had to be evacuated from the four-story
building.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Saturday, March 18, 2000

Chipola Junior College

Marianna, Florida

A male student was charged with attempted arson. He is accused of
pouring gasoline around the school buildings and shrubs and threatening
to set them on fire.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Sunday, March 19, 2000

Bloomsburg University

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

A fire in an off-campus fraternity killed three occupants. This fire
occurred in a two story, wood frame building that was not equipped with
an automatic fire sprinkler system. There were six residents in the
building at the time of the fire. Two were able to escape by jumping
from upper story windows.

This is the second fire in a fraternity that occurred in Bloomsburg. A
fire in 1994 killed five students at another fraternity. Following this
fire, a special ordinance was enacted that addressed off-campus housing.
An inspector was hired who was responsible for enforcing this ordinance.

More information on this fire will appear in a future issue of Campus
Firewatch.

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

Friday, March 24, 2000

Boston College

Newton, Massachusetts

(NOTE: Information for this report was gathered from news stories and
interviews conducted by Campus Firewatch).

An electrical fire damaged the north wing of a three-story dormitory.
The fire occurred at 5:17 a.m., and forced the evacuation of 37
students. According to a university spokesperson, the damage was
"significant." A number of students had to be rescued over ladders. Two
students had fled to a sharply pitched roof, and had to also be rescued
by ladders.

The building was a three-story structure that housed freshman students.
It was divided into three sections-A, B and C. The fire occurred in a
room on the third floor of the "C" section. The building was built in
1971 and was not required to have sprinklers. However, according to the
spokesperson, the dormitory was scheduled to be equipped with sprinklers
by June. The building also did not have a standpipe system.

A spokesperson for the Newton Fire Department told Campus Firewatch that
the cause of the fire was electrical. There were three power strips
connected together that, in turn, were plugged into a wall socket. There
were 19 appliances, such as computers, a microwave and a refrigerator,
that were plugged into the three power strips. The origin of the fire
was in the vicinity of a mass of wires that were located behind a pile
of books and papers. The fire department determined that one, or more,
of the wires' insulation failed, the wires overheated, arced and then
ignited the combustible materials.

There were two occupants in the room at the time of the fire. One of
them awoke and saw the fire. The two then fled the room, leaving the
door to the corridor open. As the fire developed, the smoke spread into
the hallway, activating a smoke detector that was connected to the
building fire alarm system. When the fire alarm system was activated, it
notified Boston College security and automatically transmitted an alarm
to the Newton Fire Department, who began responding with two engines, a
ladder and a command officer.

BC Security responded, and reported that there was a fire on the top
floor of the building. This information was relayed to the fire
department, and the response was upgraded to a second alarm.

A problem that arose during the fire fighting operations involved the
security screens over the windows. They were permanently affixed to the
building, and the residents were not able to open them from the inside
to escape the fire. Because of the heavy gauge of the metal used in
these screens, fire fighters were unable to remove them from the
exterior using forcible entry tools.

Because of this, Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Coan sent an advisory
to all of the fire chiefs in Massachusetts. A copy of this advisory can
be found on the Campus Firewatch website by following the NEWS link.

\-\-\-\-\--

Monday, April 3, 2000

Saint Joseph's College

Standish, Maine

An arson fire at Saint Joseph's College in Standish, Maine, resulted in
the arrest of a 20-year-old female student. According to press reports,
the fire was the fifth suspicious fire over three days.

The fire on Monday, 4/3, gutted a resident-assistant's room on the first
floor.

\-\-\-\-\--

Saturday, April 8, 2000

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, Massachusetts

(NOTE: Information for this report was gathered from news stories and
interviews conducted by Campus Firewatch).

A fire in a high-rise dormitory was controlled with the activation of a
single sprinkler head. A student was washing his clothes when there was
a power failure. He took his wet clothes and proceeded to drape them
over furniture and fixtures in his room to air-dry them. A t-shirt was
placed over a halogen lamp (that was equipped with a guard), and a
baseball cap was hung over the room's single station smoke detector. The
student then went to bed.

Power was ultimately restored, and the lamp, which had been left in the
"on" position, ignited the shirt. The shirt then fell down onto, and
ignited, a couch and loveseat that the student had moved from the floor
lounge into his room.

The student was awakened (unknown what awoke him) and he observed the
fire. He proceeded to awaken his roommate, and they evacuated the room.
As they opened the door to the corridor, smoke escaped from the room and
activated a building fire alarm smoke alarm in the hallway. During this
time, the room's sprinkler head activated, controlling the fire until it
was completely suppressed by the Amherst Fire Department.

\-\-\-\-\--

April 9, 2000

Dormitory Fire

Pittsburgh, PA

A fire in clothing that was started when a resident fell asleep smoking
was controlled by the activation of a sprinkler head. The fire occurred
on the fifth floor of an eight-story building. Fire damage, according to
published reports, was estimated at \$5,000.

Fire officials were quoted as saying there were problems with evacuating
the structure, and with the audibility of the fire alarm system.

\-\-\-\-\--

April 12, 2000

Montclair State University

Little Falls, New Jersey

A fire in a desk lamp ignited a small fire on the desk. The occupants of
the room were woken by \"a crackling sound,\" observed the fire and
evacuated the room. A sprinkler head activated directly over the desk,
controlling the fire until the arrival of the Little Falls Fire
Department.

The fire damage was limited to a part of the desk, papers, books and
articles of clothing. Water damage was confined to the room of origin
and several adjacent rooms.

The building had been inspected by the state Division of Fire Safety on
March 24. This inspection was prompted by an order from Governor
Whitman, following the Seton Hall fire that killed three students in
January.