Housing Fires At Institutions Of Higher Education

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report examining the causes and characteristics of fires in institutions of higher education residential buildings that include dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses. The report, University Housing Fires, was developed by the National Fire Data Center and is a part of the USFA’s Topical Fire Report Series.

Report Findings
An estimated average of 3,800 fires occurs each year in university and college dwellings. Annually, these fires are responsible for 5 deaths, 50 civilian injuries, and $26 million in property losses. Other key findings include:

• Eighty-three percent of these fires are cooking fires of which 77% are small, confined cooking fires. Cooking fires account for 6% of all nonconfined university housing fires.
• These types of fires peak in September and October, accounting for 23% of fires.
• The three main causes of nonconfined fires are intentionally set fires (17%), open flames (15%) and other unintentional causes (12%).
• One-fifth of nonconfined fires in bedrooms are started by candles.
• Ninety-four percent of fires occur in dormitories and dormitory-type residences. Six percent occur in fraternity and sorority houses.
• Fires are most frequent in the evening hours from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. when students prepare snacks or cook meals.

Examples Of Fires At Institutions Of Higher Education
The following are some recent examples of university and college hous¬ing fires that were reported by the media:

• May 2009: Two Central Connecticut State University students were accused of setting off the fire alarms with burning popcorn after they tied the doors shut to several dorm rooms. Their intent was to pull a prank in the residence hall. Police and firefighters secured the scene. No one was injured during the incident.
• May 2009: Several Northern Illinois University stu¬dents were displaced after a fire broke out in their fraternity house. One person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it started on a sofa on the front porch of the house. Smoking materials have not been ruled out as the cause of ignition.
• April 2009: Beaumont firefighters determined that a Lamar University residence hall fire was caused by a bathroom vent fan that was left running while no one was in the room. It appears that the motor had shorted or overheated, caught on fire, and burned a portion of the bathroom. The fire was confined to the bathroom, and the residence hall’s sprinkler system activated, put¬ting out the flames. The fire alarms alerted students and staff, and everyone evacuated the residence hall.
• May 2009: Quick responses by the local fire depart¬ment and employees of the University of the Cumberlands attributed to containing a small fire in a residence hall caused by a burning stove and micro¬wave oven. No one was hurt during the fire and the building sustained only minor damage.

Fire Safety Education Is Crucial
"The safety of this nation’s students is important to all fire departments facing the challenges presented by today’s higher education institutions," said Kelvin J. Cochran, United States Fire Administrator. "The simple act of cooking by students continues to present dangers when safety is taken for granted. It is our desire through this report, and others like it, to continue our support of fire safety efforts by all fire departments working closely with faculty to ensure a safe and fire-free educational environment."

As the report concludes, the challenge for communities and the fire service is to pinpoint the reasons why college and university housing fires occur and to address these issues to prevent future fires, deaths, injuries and severe property damage. Providing students with fire safety education upon their arrival to the universities may help increase awareness and prevent fires.

You can download the complete report at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/tfrs/v10i1.pdf

Source: United States Fire Administration