NFPA Journal - September/October 2016 - 7

on-campus college dormitory-most of which are sprinklered and include operating smoke alarms-in more than a decade. The reason for the tilted statistics, the report concludes, is a disparity in oversight and control. Colleges have control over building maintenance and fire systems. Colleges can bar students from smoking and drinking in the residences and ban fire-prone items such as hot plates, space heaters, and Of the fatal fires halogen lights. No such rules involving college apply in many off-campus students from apartments, where less scrupulous landlords can be more 2000-2015, interested in cash flow than in 94 percent investing in safety features or took place in upkeep. Meanwhile, students off-campus and parents are often too preoccupied with other details residences. of starting a new school year to consider crucial safety aspects of their new living quarters, such as whether their apartments have working smoke alarms and two ways out in case of an emergency. "It's kind of a perfect storm-kids are going out on their own for the first time, and parents are trying to give them a little freedom, even as they want to keep them safe," said Lorraine Carli, NFPA's vice president of outreach and advocacy. As studies continue to show that the biggest fire dangers are in off-campus housing, safety organizations have shifted their efforts in that direction over the last couple of years, Carli said. Numerous outreach initiatives and campaigns aimed at parents and students are now underway, with more being developed each year. Many groups, including NFPA, USFA, Campus Firewatch, The Center for Campus Safety, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and other advocacy groups-some forming in the aftermath of fatal fires-have developed materials separately and together. The messages are spread through traditional and social media, campus safety officials, local fire departments, contests, videos, and more. NFPA has a webpage (nfpa.org/campus) dedicated to campus fire safety, with tips, fact sheets, checklists, and more. Every bit helps. "A big part of the solution is education," Carli said, "and the more voices that are lent to the issue, the more awareness there is." In January, Campus Firewatch sent a letter, co-signed by parents who have lost children in college-related fires, to governors in all 50 states, urging them to proclaim September College Fire Safety Month. Last year, 34 states issued the proclamations. Here are a few of the potentially life-saving resources on off-campus housing safety available to parents, students, colleges, and public safety agencies: See It Before You Sign It Campaign Developed by Campus Firewatch, this is a national campaign aimed at parents to highlight the importance of actually visiting and seeing their child's living arrangement before signing or co-signing a lease. NFPA, USFA, Campus Firewatch, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission teamed up on the project. The organizations have also developed checklists to help parents and students remember what they should look for when visiting a prospective apartment, including the condition of the stove, alarms, and exits. For information, visit campus-firewatch.com/seeit. Cooking Fire Safety Quiz/Sweepstakes NFPA and the Center for Campus Fire Safety are jointly hosting a quiz/sweepstakes for college students beginning September 1 centered on cooking fire safety. The USFA report found that 7 percent of fatal fires involving college students started from cooking. Significantly, it also found that college students taking the batteries out of smoke alarms while cooking, then failing to replace them, was a "common theme" in the fatal fires studied. Students who take an eightquestion quiz at the contest website will be entered to win one of two $500 American Express gift cards. A video, rules, and more information on the quiz/sweepstakes are also available at the website, campusfiresafety.org/cooking. The Best Roommates Evah! Campaign This summer, NFPA hosted a meeting with Massachusetts firefighters-detailed in the "Outreach" column, "Off Campus Conundrum," on THE BEST ROOMMATES EVAH! page 20-that resulted in a campaign called "The Best Roommates Evah!," where the roomies in question are working smoke alarms and having two ways out. The program includes a plethora of resources available to fire educators, college residential advisors (RAs), and college health and safety officials to www.BestRoommatesEvah.org help them educate students and their parents about fire safe housing on and off campus. The program is aimed at Massachusetts college students this fall, but could be rolled out nationwide next year. Details are available online at BestRoommatesEvah.org. + A WORKING SMOKE ALARM TWO WAYS OUT Michael H. Minger Foundation Founded by a grieving mother after her son was killed in an off-campus fire at Murray State University in Kentucky, the Minger Foundation offers a number of resources, including a series of short videos of students giving fire safety messages; videos and guides on fire safety for students with disabilities; a series of posters and videos for RAs on teaching fire safety; and materials on how to develop a program where students conduct home safety visits alongside fire departments. Details are online at mingerfoundation.org. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 NFPA JOURNAL 7 http://www.campus-firewatch.com/seeit http://www.campusfiresafety.org/cooking http://www.nfpa.org/campus http://www.BestRoommatesEvah.org http://www.BestRoommatesEvah.org http://www.mingerfoundation.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - September/October 2016