By Megan Jicha
Often cramped and messy, with too much in too little space, residence halls can be a breeding ground for unintended fires. The Dorm Room Fire Test Group is trying to make residence halls safer through methods tested and discussed Oct. 1 at a live Dorm Room Test Burn on Moon Island in Boston.
Since April, five students in the Boston area have died from fires, and now, during Fire Prevention Month, Northeastern and other universities and organizations throughout the Boston area are promoting fire safety.
Students, firefighters, engineers and leaders in fire prevention products gathered at the test burn to learn more about improving fire safety, especially in a college setting.
“We will do anything to help with the safety of college students,” said Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Christian.
Boston’s college students put themselves at risk for potential fires in more ways than they know, Christian said. It is the Dorm Room Fire Test Group’s hope that by developing and testing new fire safety products and educating students they can reduce this risk, he said.
Students said new fire safety products would help put them at ease in their dorm rooms and off-campus apartments.
“Testing new products and spreading [fire safety] education is insurance for the future,” said sophomore biology major Mary Avila.
One simulation burn tested the Pyro-Blok 333 C-h, a fire-resistant paint. One 12×14 room filled with typical dorm furniture provided by Northeastern was coated with standard latex paint, while the other furnished dorm room had a coat of the fire-resistant paint. The data collected throughout the burn showed the Pyro-Blok would be useful in a real fire situation.
Besides testing new products, education on the issue is extremely important, said Paul Calderwood, Tufts University assistant fire marshal and Everett deputy fire chief. Not only do college students need to be educated on fire hazards, they must be reminded this issue is serious, he said.
“You’ve got to think of college students as computers. There is not much memory space. Fire safety seems to be one of the first files deleted,” Calderwood said.
The problem of college students and fires is not confined to on-campus housing.
“The bigger problem is with off-campus housing. Students think they are on their own and forget important safety rules and disregard responsibilities,” Calderwood said.
Peter Rizzi, Northeastern University’s Fire Safety Officer, agreed students off campus often forget fire safety rules.
“Candles are the most problematic,” Rizzi said. Since candles are not prohibited in off-campus housing, they are often misused or left burning and start fires.
Northeastern has many fire prevention devices throughout campus, which vary by building. Some include automatic fire sprinkler systems, system heat detectors, portable fire extinguishers and fire-resistant data cables. Public safety also hands out brochures on fire safety and holds fire evacuation drills.
Although inconvenient, students said fire drills can be necessary to make sure there is no question regarding what to do during an actual emergency.
“By taking [fire] drills seriously, students won’t panic during real emergencies and will know what to do,” said freshman psychology major Christina Lavorna.
Besides learning about fire safety, Rizzi said students need to also learn the seriousness of the issue.
“Students should always take alarms seriously; you never know if it’s real or not. The penalty for not evacuating depends on the situation, but it could lead to the suspension of a student’s housing contract,” he said.
