Fire Safety...

[DeltAlum]

Thought it might be worthwhile to copy this post from another thread...

from WOUB Radio/TV...

Fire Evacuates OU Fraternity House -- November 22, 2002
About 30 members of an Ohio University fraternity were forced out of their house this morning by a fire.

The fire was reported around 7:00 a.m. at the Beta Theta Pi house on Congress Street. Everyone apparently escaped the flames but one girl reportedly broke her arm as she jumped out a window. She's identified as Ann Ernsthausen of Oak Harbor.

The fire was discovered by member Rick Campopiano of Burton, who said he was awakened by the smell of smoke. His effort to extinguish the fire was unsuccessful so he began yelling for everyone to get out.

Ohio University's Bromley Hall dormitory next door was evacuated but dozens of students there were let back in after the fire was knocked down. Fraternity house members, however, remained outside on the sidewalk watching as firefighters finished their work.

Several were not fully dressed, having run outside into the cold without many clothes. Campopiano says the initial flames were around a fireplace in what is called the formal room on the first floor. But members say that fireplace is never used. They had no idea what may have triggered the fire.

Athens Fire Chief Bob Troxel terms the damage "extensive."

NOTE: What may have been helpful is that Ohio University requires a firedrill within two weeks of the beginning of each quarter. Maybe that paid off in this case. Sounds like the evacuation was well done and in an orderly fashion. "Fortunately, there were no life-threatening injuries in this fire," Ohio University Dean of Students Terry Hogan said. "Residents of the house worked together to evacuate quickly and safely and made certain to account for their fellow students."

This would be an excellent idea for every chapter house. I think most fraternity Risk Management programs suggest it.


__________________

[James]

Good point Delta Alum . . .

[Kevin]

Good stuff there. I hope that when we build we're able to use flame-resistant material. Unimaginable how bad you'd feel after your house just burned down. Our chapter at Oklahoma U has a house made mostly of concrete and other non-flammable materials. A few years back there was a fire in one room.. Completely gutted the room. The adjacent rooms were untouched.

So if you're building, consider that spending extra money now not only saves insurance money... it could save lives and the possibility of a fire drops by quite a bit.

[Tom Earp]

DeltaAlum, is most valid Point!

our House is a death trap with fire escapes! That is why we are trying to build a new House!

Hell is older than dirt! Tinder Box and All Of the Alums are worried about it!

[DeltAlum]

Another safety point...

They're saying initially that it looks like a halogen lamp may have been the cause of the fire.

Those things can be very dangerous because the element burns much hotter than a standard light bulb.

They advise to never leave one burning unattended.

If this one were too close to curtains, or was knocked over, or even if the bulb exploded (which can happen sometimes), it cold ignite pretty much anything close by.

[DeltAlum]

Another "lift" from the Ohio University Beta House fire thread:

"Halogen lamps are scary. I've been a dorm counselor for a while, and at the beginning of each term, we have to watch a training video about the dangers of halogen bulbs. Allegedly, they can get up to 1,500 degrees Celsius, and curtains and tapestries are almost always in their paths. Our school is actually really hardcore against them--my roomie freshman year had one, and during annual room inspections, they confiscated and destroyed it, and charged her $25. I thought that the housing corps of most Greek organizations outlawed them, too."