From: Administrative E-Memo (memofrom@Colorado.EDU)
Date: Fri Oct 03 2008 - 23:29:58 MDT
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 23:29:58 -0600 (MDT) From: Administrative E-Memo <memofrom@Colorado.EDU> Subject: Fire Prevention Week: October 5-11, 2008
TO: Boulder Campus Teaching & Research Faculty, Staff,
Deans, Directors, Dept. Chairs, System Administration
FROM: Department of Facilities Management
SENDER: Mansour Alipour-fard
DATE: October 4, 2008
SUBJECT: Fire Prevention Week: October 5-11, 2008
Each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
In 2006, there were 396,000 home fires in the United States resulting in
2,580 deaths, and $6.8 billion in damages. During the 2007-2008 school
year, two major fires, the Gold Run condominiums fire and the Hill House
Apartments fire, displaced many CU students. In recognition of the danger
that fire poses to life and property, President Woodrow Wilson created Fire
Prevention Day in 1920 which became Fire Prevention Week in 1922. In
acknowledgement of Fire Prevention Week, the Fire- and Life-Safety Group
(FLS) would like you to take a few moments to focus on fire safety.
The theme for this year's Fire Prevention Week, which runs from October
5-11, is "Prevent Home Fires." The college community is home to some of the
most diversified housing. Whether it's a dormitory, apartment, condominium,
or house, it's your home, and it needs to be protected. One of the easiest
and most effective methods for on-campus students to prevent home fires is
to follow campus policies, ensure that heat producing devices are not left
unattended, and not to use high fire risk items such as torchiere halogen
lamps and candles. For more information on residence hall safety, please
see the following campus link:
http://www.colorado.edu/facilitiesmanagement/pdc/safety/documents/firesafety
intheresidencehalls.pdf
Off-campus students should realize that nationwide, the fatality rate due to
fire is four times higher for off-campus students. Several of the factors
that contribute to this ratio, are inadequate fire/smoke detection, absence
of automatic fire sprinklers, absence of campus authorities and supervision,
and increased use of alcohol. In order to reduce the likelihood of a fire
within off-campus housing, FLS strongly urges you to make sure that the
following five guidelines be implemented within your home:
1. Check your smoke alarms. A working smoke detector doubles your chance of
surviving a fire.
2. Don't leave cooking appliances on and unattended! Cooking fires are the
#1 cause of home fires in the United States.
3. Avoid the use of candles whenever possible. When candles are burning
make sure you are sober and in the room and that the candles are placed on a
large base that will not burn. Please note that candles are the cause of a
significant portion of fires in Boulder.
4. Check electrical devices for safety. Do not overload outlets. Be very
careful when using Torchiere halogen lamps. Halogen bulbs range in
temperature from 700 to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit and can easily melt plastic
shades, or start a fire. These lamps are prohibited in University of
Colorado residence halls. More information can be found at the following
link:
http://www.colorado.edu/facilitiesmanagement/pdc/safety/documents/halogen_la
mps.pdf
5. Use barbeque grills with caution. Barbeque grills should not be used
within 10 ft of combustibles including wood decks. FLS recommends that
propane grills be used in place of charcoal grills. Additionally, try to
use the smallest propane tank feasible. A large propane tank can cause very
substantial damage.
Additionally, the city of Boulder has restrictions on the size of propane
tanks and the use of charcoal grills. Please visit the following site for
additional information:
http://www.colorado.edu/facilitiesmanagement/pdc/safety/documents/bbq_requir
ements.pdf
The National Fire Protection Association has several pages devoted to Fire
Prevention Week. For more information and additional safety tips, please
refer to their webpage:
http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1438&itemID=34420
Please visit our web page and contact us on the Hotline link if you have any
fire-safety concerns:
http://www.colorado.edu/facilitiesmanagement/pdc/safety/index.html
Thank you.
Mansour Alipour-fard, P.E.
Campus Fire Marshal
University of Colorado at Boulder
303-492-4042
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