CU officials hope tight restrictions and extensive RA training will help snuff out fire hazards
Students living in the dorms this semester have been met by a campaign to step up fire hazard awareness.
“Fire restrictions have not changed,” said Alex Johnson, a resident adviser and senior linguistics and Spanish major. “We’re just increasing awareness.”
Johnson said RAs are trying to increase student awareness about fire prevention, particularly restrictions that may be confusing or unclear.
Over the summer RAs participated in Fire Academy, a program developed by Sherry Kenyon, the fire safety coordinator for Boulder Fire-Rescue.
“She designed a completely unique system for the Greek community, RAs and residence hall students,” Johnson said.
The summer training included exercises with fake smoke to simulate real-life rescue situations. They also used bunker suits and lit fires in pits to teach RAs how to use fire extinguishers.
Johnson was one of four students who worked to bring Fire Academy to all residence hall students two years ago.
“It really makes you realize why you need to get out when there’s a fire and how hard it is for someone to rescue you,” Johnson said.
Johnson said fewer students are violating the most obvious restrictions like candles and grills.
Restrictions also include hanging objects from pipes and full-length posters on doors. Tapestries are also prohibited.
“I think the regulations are a little stiff,” said Cayla Enger, a freshman integrative physiology major. “My friends at UNC have a huge tie-dyed tapestry and we can’t have those here.”
Other freshman voiced similar opinions about dorm decorating constraints.
“It makes sense that we can’t hang things from pipes because they might break, but the poster restriction is a little odd,” said Aimee Anderson, a freshman open-option major.
Students with plans to wrap friends’ doors in wrapping paper for birthdays were disappointed to hear they are prohibited from doing so because it is a fire hazard.
“It’s a little more tedious when decorating,” Anderson said. “I’m sure there’s a good reason for it, but it seems a little strict.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Katherine Spencer at Katherine.a.spencer@colorado.edu.
