Be alarmed if your student's college dorm isn't fire safe

College students are high risk! In the period between January 2000 and Aug. 1, 2005, 75 people died in student housing fires across the country and countless others have been injured, lost their housing, personal belongings and school work in fires.

In cases where fire fatalities occurred on college campuses, alcohol was often a factor. There is a strong link between alcohol and fire deaths. In many adult fire fatalities, victims were under the influence at the time of the fire. Alcohol abuse often impairs judgment and hampers evacuation efforts.

Cooking is the leading cause of fire injuries on college campuses, closely followed by careless smoking and arson. Other factors such as student apathy, ignored fire alarms, delayed evacuation because of lack of planning and preparation, vandalized or disabled fire detection equipment, and overloaded outlets and extension cords also put college students at risk.

When visiting or selecting a school, fire safety is often one of the last things on people's minds. However, because of their lifestyles and living arrangements, fire officials consider college-age students a "high risk" group. Parents and students should make some inquiries into the fire safety of perspective college campuses. Some questions to ask include:

«How many fires have occurred on campus in the past year? Two years? Five years? How many students have been injured or have any been killed? How much dollar loss have these fires caused? This should be all fires, not just those reported as arson.

«Are residence halls equipped with an automatic fire sprinkler system? If not, why not? Sprinklers provide that vital first line of defense when it comes to controlling a fire.

«Does every student's room have a smoke alarm? Does it send a signal to campus security or the fire department? Fire alarm systems will give everyone the warning that there is a fire and it is time to get out.

«How many false alarms have occurred in the residence halls? False alarms cause students to stop paying attention to the alarms, which can be a fatal decision. False alarms are avoidable.

«Is the fire department immediately notified whenever any fire alarm system is activated? Some schools investigate the alarm first and then notify the fire department. This delay can put more people at risk. The fire department should automatically be notified of all alarms.

«Are smoking, candles and Halogen lamps prohibited in the residence halls? Smoking is one of the leading cause of fires in residence halls.

«Does the school have policies that electrical appliances and power strips be certified as safe and reliable? Overloaded power strips can cause fires.

«How much fire prevention training does the residence hall staff receive? These people are key components in an effective fire safety program.

«How often are evacuation drills conducted? There should be at least one per semester.

With a little common sense, inquiry and fire safety, the risks to college students can be reduced so that they can graduate and survive this high-risk period of their lives.

Dale Lyman is battalion chief for Union Colony Fire/Rescue Authority in Greeley.