Now in its fifth year, Fire Safety Week returns to the Boston College campus, and while most students remember the week for its famous mock room burning in the Dustbowl, it will be kicking off today with its newest program: "Scoops for Safety."
The new amnesty program was created this year by the Residence Hall Health and Safety Committee to encourage students to be proactive about fire prevention in the residence halls. Students will be able to bring prohibited items in the Dustbowl on Monday, such as candles and two-prong extension cords, to a designated table run by the Office of Residential Life, without punishment. ResLife will be giving away White Mountain Creamery gift certificates to students who participate.
Another new event this year will be the "fire extinguisher challenge." Justin Price, associate director of residential life, described the event as a relay race to demonstrate to students how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
Price assured that popular annual events will be returning in addition to these new programs. A room inspection challenge, mock room burn, and "fireperson olympics" will all have prizes and gift certificates for the students who win the competitions. Price remembers the big audience draw for the week in recent years has been to watch as the fire department sets a mock residence hall ablaze.
"It's a good representation of how quickly a fire can spread in these dorm rooms," Price said.
Along with all the fun events and free giveaways for students, however, the Resident Hall Health and Safety Committee will continue to work hard to ensure the utmost safety for the campus. Every month, the committee, made up of members from the BC Police Department, Reslife, Environmental Health and Safety, and facilities services, meet to discuss current issues related to fire prevention among colleges across the country.
This year, there are two new initiatives on which the committee is focusing. One is the recent revelation among many colleges of the dangers of the popular multi-colored five-light floor lamps in residence halls. Price said they have caused numerous campus fires at other schools in the past few years because of the colorful plastic shades' inability to withstand the heat of the bulbs. Because of this, the lamps are now prohibited in BC residence halls.
The other new initiative comes in light of recent off-campus fires at neighboring campuses, most notably Boston University.
"We realize the importance of getting fire safety information out to off-campus students as well," Price explained. "We're working on sending more information to off-campus juniors, making sure they're paying attention to their building policy and their own safety," he said.
Promoting fire safety, both on and off campus, has been one of the biggest priorities for Price since he started working at BC six years ago.
"In coming here [Fire Safety Week] was one of the things I tried to help start," Price said. "I wanted it to be educational and fun, BC places a lot of importance on fire safety."
In fact, in 2006, BC received a perfect score (99/99) in fire safety from the Princeton Review. The ratings were based on how well a school prepared for and prevented campus fires, and the average score of all colleges rated was 85.
Although no major fires have struck the BC campus in the past few years, many BC faculty members still remember the horror of the Medeiros blaze back in 2000. While no lives were taken, the event struck a chord with many in the community, calling for improved fire safety measures.
Fire Safety Week, five years strong, continues to be one of the most direct means of connecting to students and making them aware of fire safety issues on campus.
Price ultimately said the week-long event will be "very enlightening."
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