Most young children learn of Smokey the Bear at a young age and are able to recite his well-known phrase, "Only you can prevent wildfires."
It is often because of Smokey that children are able to learn about fire safety and prevention of not only forest fires, but also house fires. As they grow older, however, the message may be forgotten or ignored.
In August, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) published a set of tips and statistics about on-campus fires in order to remind college students about fire safety. The number of fires on college campuses has dramatically increased in recent years and in many cases, these fires could have been prevented.
In 1980, there were 3,200 on-campus fires nationwide, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Throughout the next 19 years, colleges and universities began to take preventative measures, such as installing sprinkler systems, in order to decrease the number of campus fires.
In 1998, the number of on-campus fires was down to 1,800. In recent years, however, the number of fires has again been increasing; in 2005, the NFPA reported 3,300 on and off-campus fires.
Between 2002 and 2005, 39 students were killed and almost 400 were injured in on-campus fires. In their recent reports, the ASSE reminds students to know where exits are located, to not ignore alarms and drills and to not put aluminum foil in the microwaves.
The easiest way to prevent fires at UConn is to follow the policies that the university developed in order to prevent on-campus fires.
"It is important to be conscious of the rules regarding fire prevention to ensure the safety of yourself and the other residents in the building," said Angela Daye, a 3rd-semester accounting major.
One of the most important steps that students can take is to take time to ensure that none of their possessions are prohibited in the residence halls. A complete list of prohibited items is available on the Residential Life Web site.
The newest addition to the list of prohibited items is candles. Candles were banned several years ago after causing a couple of fires. Rather than banning candles completely, however, the policy was changed so that un-burnt candles were still allowed.
However, "having a candle in the room was a temptation some students could not resist," said Logan Trimble, Director of Residential Operations.
A candle set off a small fire in Charter Oak Apartments Feb. 3, causing $12,000 in damages and forcing some residents to relocate, as reported in The Daily Campus Feb. 9.
This year, candles have been completely banned from all residence halls because "the risk is just too high," Trimble said.
Another important reminder is that fire equipment, including smoke detectors, alarms and sprinklers, should never be tampered with.
Though preventative measures can always be taken, there are some cases when they are not enough. All community assistants are trained to help students in case of potential emergencies.
"UConn is fortunate to have its own fire department on campus and to have some of the most sophisticated fire equipment available," Trimble said.
Contact Kimberely Hansen at Kimberely.Hansen@UConn.edu.
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