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Fire safety hits close to home Smokey the Bear was right about forest fires, but only Amanda Seef can prevent office fires. As I walked into the office Friday, April 4, I saw our Lifestyles Editor, Allison, sitting at her computer with the microwave to her left billowing smoke. I saw the flames and the sprinkler alarm system directly above where the smoke is headed. Quickly, Allison called University Police while I calmly freaked out in the hallway recruiting help and seeing our office potentially covered in water and the thousands of newspapers we have in the office catching on fire. Our office was saved by my keen sense of wrongdoing, and the people who came to help that knew what they were doing. While waiting for the help to arrive, we located multiple fire alarms that we tried to keep the thick smoke away from so that the entire population of Union dwellers didn’t have another reason to hate The Stylus. On top of the alarms and six sprinklers just in our main office, we also located multiple fire extinguishers. I would have used it, but the glass that I would have had to break was much more fearful than our not-yet fully engulfed microwave. “Apparently, metal blows UP!” Allison exclaimed, shortly after she scribbled her sorrow on the whiteboard for all the editors to see. All that’s left to see is the smudged black markings on the wall and a pungent smell lingering in the hallway outside our office. The small fire could have been disastrous, but luckily nothing more than a microwave and Allison’s reputation were damaged. Unfortunately, hundreds of students on or near college campuses die in fire-related incidents. Most recently, three students from Wisconsin were killed in a house where the alarms that rang were so loud they woke the neighbors. Two students from Rochester Institute of Technology were killed in November. Six students were killed in a beach house fire in North Carolina. The deaths need to stop. Fire safety is a topic that should come naturally to students, especially ones that live alone or off campus. I have written multiple news pieces about topics to be aware of while involving fire or the potential of fire. Brockport has been lucky enough to have not endured the tragedy of losing students in this manner, but who is to say that it won’t happen to any of us? After a night of drinking and partying, attention to details may not be at the top of your list, but it’s necessary. Many of the students who have been killed in the fatal fires have been involved with alcohol — some so severely inebriated that they do not wake from the piercing alarms or pounds on their door from frantic neighbors. Make sure you have working fire alarms — not only is it a good idea, but it is also village code. Over the weekend, Brockport emergency teams were sent to a house on Holley Street after the wiring in the wall had been misplaced. The breaker box was sparking, as was the electrical box in the wall (that wasn’t exactly a wall … but more of beams and removed sheetrock). The residents of the house were fortunate that they noticed the sparking and their electricity was shut off to prevent further damage to the house. The cause of fires is scattered, but often it is due to electrical or wiring problems. Do not overload extension cords or trap the cords under furniture or carpet where heat may build up. Fires caused by electrical or wiring problems can destroy a house within minutes. Having an electrician check your outlets, wiring or breaker box on a regular basis is a way to save lives. I don’t know how many people read The Stylus, or keep up-to-date on current events and news, but staying aware of the dangers present in houses and dormitories concerning fire safety is a quick, painless way to make sure you make it through college. Also, I’m pretty sure we’re the only Stylus staff to have had an office incident printed in our own police blotter (see page 2). |
Editorial: Student housing is now online Luettger: Guitar Hero — a way of life Seef: Fire safety hits close to home Craddock: Manners, karma and random acts of Feeny |