For the ninth year in a row, a letter co-signed by 27 people who have lost loved ones in campus-related fires has been sent to the nation’s governors, asking them to again sign proclamations recognizing September as Campus Fire Safety Month. Since 2005, 228 proclamations have been issued, including resolutions in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. The number of campus-related fire deaths has been declining since it peaked at 20 deaths in 2006-2007, in part because of more education and awareness being done by campuses and communities across the nation.
This campaign is part of a national effort to raise awareness about the importance of fire safety on our nation’s campuses. Since 2000, 158 people have died in campus-related fires with over 85% of them happening in off-campus housing, and so many of them are preventable. Three people were killed in off-campus fires in the Fall 2012-2013 semester, two in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota and just yesterday, on New Year’s Day, two students from the University of Cincinnati were critically injured in an off-campus fire that, according to early reports, may have been caused by a blanket too close to a space heater.
A copy of the letter, suggested proclamation language, and a listing of proclamations issued by states since 2005, is available on Campus Firewatch.
More information on campus fire safety, including fire safety education resources, a listing of fatal fires since 2000, a map of campus-related fatal fires and an Information Sheet, can be found at www.campus-firewatch.com.