Fire sprinkles could prevent fires in Greek housing
Fire safety and codes are under scrutiny.
Published Feb. 27, 2009
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Sophomores Kevin and Colleen Hamilton watch as firefighter Brian Wattenbarger helps to put away a hose after the Sigma Chi fraternity house caught fire Sunday night. In its meeting Monday, Columbia's Fire Sprinkler Task Force recommended Greek houses install sprinklers to help prevent fires.
According to Campus Firewatch, a Web site monitoring fires on college campuses, 103 people have died in university-related fires across the country since Jan. 2000.
But Shawn McCollom, assistant fire marshal for MU Environmental Health and Safety and a member of the Columbia Fire Department, said a majority of these fires are avoidable.
"Last Sunday -- that was definitely preventable," McCollom said, referencing a fire at the Sigma Chi fraternity house. "It was a human cause, and it was a very preventable event."
McCollom stressed the importance of being aware of surroundings and making sure buildings are up to code. Installing fire sprinklers and alarm systems could stop many fires. According to Campus Firewatch, the common factors of most fires include a lack of automatic fire sprinklers, disabled smoke alarms, unsafe disposal of smoking materials and alcohol involvement.
"A lot of college students think they're invincible," McCollom said. "They're absolutely not. Be very aware of what you're doing at any particular time."
McCollom, who works with building codes and initial plan reviews for new buildings, said fire inspections and education could go a long way in helping avert fires or risk of fires on campus.
"I do a big production for all the RA's in the residential halls once a year," McCollom said. "I do quite a bit of fire safety training for as many students on campus."
In January 2007, the Columbia City Council passed an ordinance requiring all fraternity and sorority houses to install fire sprinklers following the death of Dominic Passantino in a fraternity fire at Sigma Chi in 1999.
Of the 103 deaths in campus-related fires since January 2000, more than 83 percent occurred in off-campus housing, including Greek housing. The U.S. Department of Education reported of the 18 million students enrolled in colleges and universities around the country, approximately two-thirds live off-campus.
But from January 2000 to the present, there have been 10 fatalities in Greek housing nationally as well as 10 in residence halls, according to Campus Firewatch.
MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said MUPD's primary focus is on-campus buildings and housing. Many of the regulations and safety measures put in place on campus do not apply to off-campus housing.
On Monday, Columbia's Fire Sprinkler Task Force recommended the enforcement of sprinklers in Greek housing. The sprinklers would cost approximately $167,655 for each house, an expensive installation.
