College and City Fire Department Partner to Teach Fire Safety
What: Replicas of two 8-foot by 8-foot residence hall rooms, one with a sprinkler system and one without, will be built on campus and set on fire in “a controlled burn” to demonstrate how rapidly a fire can spread once it starts.
When: Thursday, September 10 at 12:30 p.m.
Where: On the quad in front of the Austin Arts Center and directly across from Mather Hall on the Trinity campus, 300 Summit Street.
Background: September is National Campus Fire Safety Month. In conjunction with the Hartford Fire Department, Trinity is going to construct and furnish replicas of two 8-foot by 8-foot residence hall rooms. The rooms will be set on fire in “a controlled burn.” One of the rooms will be equipped with a sprinkler system and one will not have a sprinkler system.
The purpose of this Common Hour event is to demonstrate how quickly a room can become completely engulfed in flames (within three minutes) once a fire starts, and to reinforce to students how important it is that they practice sensible fire-safety habits, such as not having lit candles and other objects in their rooms.
Barricades will be put up so that traffic cannot enter the area where the controlled burn will take place. Two fire department trucks will be on hand to extinguish the flames. Lt. Roger Martin from the Hartford Fire Marshall’s Office will provide commentary.
National Campus Fire Safety Month was first launched in 2005 when a group of parents who had lost children in campus fires sent a letter to all 50 governors asking them to sign a proclamation designating September as Campus Fire Safety Month. Twelve governors responded to their request, which then grew to 32 states in 2008. In addition, resolutions were passed in the U.S. House and Senate recognizing National Campus Fire Safety Month.
For more information, please visit: www.campusfiresafetymonth.org.
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