A new program is being implemented to assist in fire safety on campus.
Members of University Housing Staff are currently undergoing training to assist in the event of a fire related emergency. Resident advisors and resident directors are working closely with the University fire marshals to undergo the appropriate training.
“Due to the large populations in some buildings on campus and the need for a rapid and safe evaluation, some assistance is needed,” David Michniuk, deputy fire marshal with the Office of the University Fire Marshal, said.
Efficiency is the key idea behind this program. Housing Staff are trained to highlight the evacuation routes for the building, ensure that all personnel have exited the building, and position themselves as guides for people who are trying to exit the building.
“It really aids us to be able to get straight to business when we arrive on the scene,” Michniuk said.
Housing staff is also being trained to relay information to fire marshals. Things like the point of activation for a fire alarm and the actual cause of the fire would be assessed by the staff on the scene and relayed to the firemen when they arrive on site.
“The idea of having immediate communication is very helpful to us. It really makes the process more efficient as a whole, which ends up creating a safer environment in the end,” Michniuk said.
This program is meant to assist all patrons in University buildings with safety procedures in the event of a fire. With the assistance of housing staff, students can hopefully remain as safe as possible in the event of an emergency.
“The RA’s should know what to do no matter what emergency is presented to them,” Rose Sophia Cuomo, a freshmen in the transition program, said.
Cuomo said that she felt as though the resident advisors in her dorm were not fully prepared for a small fire that took place in her dorm earlier this year.
“The RAs seemed really unprepared; they left the residents wandering around outside for about an hour after it was declared safe to go back into the building. There just wasn’t enough communication,” Cuomo said.
The ultimate goal of the program is to have the entire housing staff trained. There have been training sessions during the summer orientation for Resident Advisors and Resident Directors and continues throughout the year with monthly safety meetings. These safety meetings are to go over procedures and make sure that all staff members stay informed.
“It is extremely important for us to know what to do in the event of a true emergency. It’s how we keep our residents safe,” Derek Spicer, resident advisor for Central Campus, said.
The procedure of what to do in the event of an emergency is very concise. Resident advisors and resident directors, in the event of a fire alarm, put on designated housing vests and immediately begin to direct patrons out of the building. The goal is to have everyone out in two minutes or less. They are then expected to wait for the fire marshal to arrive and signal for the appropriate time to re-enter the building, according to Spicer.
“We know exactly what to do so that when the time comes, we can react without feeling panicked. We are able to do our job and keep the residents safe,” Spicer said.
