Fire Power
Oct 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Deb Denker and Lee West
With the assistance of risk-control experts, administrators can put effective fire-prevention measures into place.
For education administrators, campus fires are not only a distressing loss, but also a stark reminder that a campus faces risks that require special vigilance.
In many ways, campuses resemble small communities, with areas for living, working and relaxing. A residence hall fire may raise the specter of careless youth, often with the complication of alcohol thrown in. But fire-safety concerns also center on classrooms and faculty offices, where tinder-dry books and papers are abundant. Throw in irreplaceable special collections in university libraries, valuable fine-arts exhibits and historic buildings, and it becomes clear that fire prevention requires comprehensive planning beyond rules about residence hall living.
Now, with new efforts at the federal level to track campus fires, administrators should take a fresh look at their fire-prevention efforts. Although many fire-safety steps fall under the category of common sense, others require specialized knowledge. An insurer that provides comprehensive coverage and a suite of services may provide education administrators a resource of risk-control experience.
The scope of a threat
Understanding any risk typically begins by knowing how likely a problem is to occur. There is no study specific to college and university fires, but statistics from various studies performed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) that apply to education institutions indicate opportunities for improved fire safety.
In its report on structural fires on education property for the years 2002 through 2005, the NFPA includes elementary and secondary schools. The closest accounting for college and university fires is a mixed category labeled “adult education centers and college classrooms.” For that category, the report identifies an average of 730 fires per year, which accounted for an annual average of 14 injuries and $25 million in property damage.
In a separate report for the same timeframe, NFPA found an average of 3,300 fires occurred each year in residence halls (including K-12 schools with boarding facilities), fraternities, sororities and barracks. These caused an average of seven deaths and 46 injuries each year, as well as $25 million in property damage.
An NFPA researcher notes that fires that may occur on college and university campuses in structures that are neither classrooms nor residence halls are not captured by the reports. In addition, fires not reported to municipal fire departments are not included.
In both reports, the leading cause of fires was cooking equipment (accounting for 72 percent of the fires in the residence hall report and 25 percent in the all-schools report), followed by contained trash fires (7 percent and 25 percent, respectively) and arson (4 percent and 22 percent, respectively). In the residence hall report, lighted tobacco products and candles each caused only 2 percent of fires, but together accounted for almost two-thirds of the deaths. For all education property, intentionally set fires caused the most injuries and the most property damage.
One aspect of data collection is expected to improve because of a late-night fire in January 2000. Two young men finished a night of drinking by setting fire to a “Welcome Back” banner in a residence hall lounge at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. The fire spread to a couch and from there became an inferno that killed three students and injured more than 50 others.
In the outcry that followed, the U.S. Congress made fire-incident reporting for student residence halls a new requirement for colleges and universities when it reauthorized the Higher Education Act in 2008. In addition to reporting fires, campuses will be required to describe the presence of fire-protection equipment; fire-safety training programs; and the number of regular mandatory fire drills. Final regulations to complete this and other portions of the act are expected to be published in November 2009.
A sound plan
With the onset of federal tracking of fire-safety provisions at campuses, now is an excellent time for administrators to review the plans they have in place, assess any shortcomings and work with risk-control specialists to improve fire-prevention efforts. There are three areas on which to focus:
- Prevention
An effective fire-prevention program should be tailored to an institution's specific conditions, but in general should have four key elements: rules that limit the potential for fire; education and training that alerts everyone about the rules; regular inspections to ensure the rules are being followed; and enforcement of consequences to encourage compliance.
Because studies indicate cooking is a leading cause of fires, administrators need to encourage vigilance about residence hall rules concerning hot plates, popcorn poppers and other heat sources that students may use to prepare food. Similarly, halogen lights, frayed extension cords, flammable decorations, tobacco products and candles can be dangerous in any setting, but particularly in residence hall rooms. With arson fires causing the most injuries and property damage, good campus security will be key to preventing fires, including good lighting and supervision outside and effective access control to interiors.
Administrators also should educate staff about the role that alcohol plays in many fires. Students who drink to excess can become careless with flammable materials, be unable or hesitant to properly alert authorities when a fire breaks out, and have difficulty following directions if an evacuation of a burning building is required. In addition, student apathy in the face of what they may consider to be a drill or a prank can be a problem when a real fire alarm is set off.
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