Protect Your Children from a Fire Even When They're Away at School

Don’t Simply Assume Their Dorm Is Sprinklered

Do you know how safe your children’s school is? Not just during their time in class but, also, while they’re asleep and the most vulnerable? More specifically, do you know anything about the school’s fire protection policies and safeguards and whether or not the dorm room they sleep in is protected by a fire sprinkler system so they have a fighting chance to get out alive?

Unfortunately, many students and parents overlook this very important safety consideration when shopping for a college. Or, in some cases, they may simply assume that it is adequately protected.

The harsh reality is that most student housing is not sufficiently protected from a fire mishap. In fact, most states don’t even require fire sprinklers in older dorms. Only newly constructed dorms or residences undergoing renovation are required to be sprinklered.

That’s a dangerous oversight considering that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) documents more than a thousand fires in college and university dorms each year!

Since January 2000, the Center for Campus Fire Safety has identified 89 fire fatalities in student housing. Nearly 80 percent of these deaths occurred in off-campus housing. But on- or off-campus, they all had one thing in common–the lack of fire sprinkler systems.

No one is immune. Both private and state colleges have suffered fatalities in states like Ohio, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Illinois. And it’s little wonder when you consider the dangerous mix of numerous students living in close proximity combined with common risky habits such as late-night studying along with tobacco and alcohol consumption.

Even with the lack of state and federal mandates, some universities have taken it upon themselves to invest in this life-saving technology. Both Notre Dame and the University of Cincinnati make a point of differentiating themselves in their marketing materials and on their student tours by focusing on their superior safety performance. The $50 million investment by Pennsylvania State University to sprinkler every dorm has already started paying off, since the sprinklers have effectively controlled a number of on-campus fires.

Despite the benefits and proven effectiveness, too few schools offer any type of protection. Why? Lack of funding and lack of time.

Poor performance on Wall Street has trampled most endowments. And, with operating costs on the rise, budgets are often stretched to their limits. Yet, schools do manage to find the funds if the demand exists. Consider, for example, that the majority of schools now offer dorm rooms with Internet connections. The schools paid for this amenity because students and parents demanded it, and competition drove it.

Timing is another challenge. While it’s true that many schools need to force life-saving retrofits into summer vacation schedules and holiday breaks, newer technologies and materials offer faster installation processes which make these tight deadlines realistic.

A BlazeMaster® CPVC fire sprinkler system, for example, has been proven to save as much as 50 percent in installation time as a result of an easy and fast joining system. With more than 20 years of proven performance in the field, a BlazeMaster CPVC fire sprinkler system is the system of choice at many universities that have either voluntarily undergone a sprinkler retrofit or have been mandated to do so.

No other campus better exemplifies the labor savings of a CPVC system than the University of Texas in Austin where the State Fire Marshall mandated that their Jester Hall be in compliance with a new code by September 2004, whether it conveniently fit into their schedule or not. Jester Hall, the largest dorm in the U.S., houses more than 3,000 students. Despite its enormous size, the $11 million project was completed in less than a year as a result of choosing to use the BlazeMaster CPVC fire sprinkler system.

Compared to traditional metallic sprinkler systems, the BlazeMaster CPVC system is not only faster to install, but it’s also cleaner and less disruptive. In fact, at Jester Hall the students left their rooms in the morning and were able to return to a room that was completely protected with fire sprinklers by that evening. Working at this pace, the contractors completed between six and seven rooms a day–a schedule not attainable with the same number of workers using metallic pipe. Not only does the faster installation provide universities with more opportunities to complete retrofits on tight time schedules, but it also translates into significant cost savings as a result of reduced labor time.

When it comes to safety, not all schools are the same. Regardless of a school’s academic record or athletic victories, be sure to make a safe selection. You’ll sleep better at night—and so will your children—knowing that they’re adequately protected in case the unexpected occurs.