September is Campus Fire Safety Month and this year the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), The Center for Campus Fire Safety (The Center), the University of New Haven Fire Science Club (UNH) and Domino’s are teaming up to host a national campaign and Campus Fire Safety Sweepstakes & Contest (Contest) that raises awareness of fire safety on college campuses.
CONTEST VIDEO: Students from the University of New Haven Fire Science Club explain the Campus Fire Safety Sweepstakes & Contest, and encourage students across the country to join their fire safety movement.
According to NFPA statistics, fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities and student barracks increased 24 percent from 3,350 fires in 2003 to 4,160 fires in 2013. The Center states from 2000 through October 2014, 126 students died in 89 fires on college campuses, in Greek housing, or in privately owned off-campus housing within three miles of the campus. Of those, 107 deaths occurred in fires in off-campus housing. At least four fatal off-campus fires have occurred this year, including deaths in South Dakota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
Most college students, many living on their own for the first time, don’t often think to ask or even consider the fire safety implications of their housing choices, and most states don’t require colleges to tell them.
The Contest encourages students to put fire safety first, and provides a host of student, parent and fire safety educator resources that focus on the dangers of candles and unattended cooking, in addition to highlighting the importance of having smoke alarms, evacuation plans and more. Resources have been designed for sharing via social media, on college websites, and for posting in dorms and on common area bulletin boards and include:
* Fire safety questions to ask landlords and school officials
* Videos
* Checklists
* Tips Sheets
* Infographics and flyers
根据保罗·d·马丁,总统的分er for Campus Fire Safety, “The concept of students involving other students helps send a strong fire safety message that we hope will be remembered going forward. The dedication and energy this student team has demonstrated has been phenomenal.”
The two-tiered Contest, available online from September 1 – 25 on the UNH Fire Science Club Facebook page, targets students currently enrolled in an institution of higher education who can share important fire safety messages with their friends and roommates. Students who complete the first tier will be entered into a sweepstakes where two winners will be randomly selected to win a Domino’s-sponsored pizza party for 50 of their friends. Students can also submit a 200-word paragraph about the steps they will take to help keep themselves and their peers safer from fire. One winner will be chosen from this second-tier of the Contest and is eligible to win an iPad mini 3.
“As a fire science student, we learn a lot about the extreme destruction and power that fire has and the loss that can come afterward,” said Greg Fasold, student at the University of New Haven and media specialist for The Center’s Campus Fire Safety for Students Group. “We see first-hand the importance of spreading the fire safety message to all students. This contest will be go a long way in helping us with our outreach.”
Learn more about the Contest at www.facebook.com/campusfiresafetyforstudents. Find resources for students, parents and fire safety educators atwww.nfpa.org/campusand on the Center’s Campus Fire Safety for Students webpage.
