Western’s Environmental Health and Safety department and the Bowling Green Fire Department teamed up yesterday to teach students about fire safety.

The event was held next to Guthrie Tower and featured a fire safety trailer. Fog was pumped through the trailer so students could see what it felt like to crawl through a smoke-filled room.

Deleasha Jones, a freshman from Springfield, Tenn., said the demonstration was helpful.

“I’ve honestly never been in a fire, so the smoke kind of cleared up how it’s going to be,” she said. “So maybe I won’t panic.”

Marlee Boenig, BGFD’s fire prevention education specialist, said she hoped the event would help freshmen prepare in case of a fire. She said it was important because this is the first time many students have been on their own without their parents to ensure their safety.

Sergeant Bill Hare of BGFD showed students a thermal imager, which allows firefighters to see people through smoke, as well as sources of heat. He said all their fire trucks are equipped with at least one, and that they cost $15,000 each.

Bob Austin, the fire safety officer for Western’s EHS department, showed students how to pull fire alarms and check their smoke detectors. He said almost all of the fire alarms on campus resulted from leaving ovens and stoves unattended.

Accidents with cooking equipment were the highest cause of dormitory structure fires and accounted for 41.1 percent of the national average between 1999 and 2001, according to the National Fire Protection Association’s Web site. Intentional fires were second with 24.1 percent.

Austin said it was important for students to always take fire evacuations seriously.

“Treat all fire alarms as the real McCoy,” he said.

Reach Hawkins Teague
at features@wkuherald.com.