A guide to fire safety

It was Spring Fling, and I had not a care in the world. I was lounging in my house when one of my housemates burst into the room, yelling, "There's a fire in the basement!"

Though my first thought was, "I'm sure you're overreacting," she turned out to be right. Luckily, the fire was small and was put out with a fire extinguisher.

Though many Penn students like myself grew up in suburbia, escaping a fire in the big city poses different threats from what we were taught in elementary school. Compact urban buildings -- such as the rowhouses which border Penn's campus -- have far fewer places to exit and allow fires to spread from one house to another much more easily. These differences make fire a much bigger threat for the Penn community.

And though the University runs emergency evacuation drills four times a year on all on-campus residences, there are no similar protections for those who venture off campus.

This lack of preparedness is a huge mistake.

At the least, Penn students should keep some guidelines in mind. The University's Fire and Emergency Services office says it is essential to follow these steps in the event of a fire:

n Call 911 immediately.

n Never take an elevator.

n Feel door handles for heat with the back of your hand. If it is hot, don't open it; if it's cold, open it slowly and be prepared to shut it quickly.

n If you leave a room, leave quickly, closing the door behind you.

n If you encounter flame or smoke during your escape, use another exit.

n Go to a pre-designated area to meet with your house or apartment mates.

A simple e-mail to your house/apartment mates clarifying evacuation procedures will be highly beneficial.

Penn Director of Fire and Emergency Services Ted Bateman had some additional tips:

n Never leave burning candles unattended.

n Keep all fuel away from heat sources (paper, newspapers, etc).

n Never leave food that is being cooked unattended.

n Never overload electric outlets.

n Never place electrical cords (like extension cords) under doors.

n Make sure that cigarettes are completely put out.

Most deadly fires occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Nearly all of us are asleep during at least some of that time. As a result, it is important to familiarize yourself with the sound of your smoke alarm. Otherwise, you can brush an emergency off in the middle of the night by not recognizing the alarm.

"We ask citizens to equate themselves with the sound of the smoke alarms. The earlier warning you have, the more time you have to evacuate [and] change your situation to save your life," said Bernard Gillians, a fire prevention specialist for the Philadelphia Fire Department.

I learned from last weekend's incident to take every alarm seriously. There had been an alarm going off in our basement last week, and we had our landlord replace the batteries of the faulty smoke detector literally eight hours before the fire. What if we had not noticed the faulty detector?

We were the lucky ones. Since Jan. 1, 2006, 29 people in Philadelphia have been killed by accidental fires.

Even if you've done everything right, you may still become a victim. "Sometimes a fire can happen next door. The smoke next door is just as lethal as the smoke from your apartment," Gillian said.

A problem that specifically effects college students who often live in a dwelling for only a semester or year is that hallways are cluttered with boxes and other objects that can impede one's escape in the event of a fire. Take a few minutes to clear your hallways of everything that doesn't belong there.

It is the responsibility of any landlord to maintain a fire alert system. However, it is the responsibility of the tenant to make sure it is in working order -- it's your own safety that's on the line. If you notice something out of place, bring it to the immediate attention of your landlord. Fire extinguishers should be checked annually, and there should be a notice of when the date of the last inspection was on a tag on the device itself.

If your landlord is unresponsive, you should complain to the Office of Off-Campus Living, the Philadelphia Fire Department and Penn's Department of Fire and Emergency Services, which can help facilitate an inspection.

So please remember to check your smoke detectors and eliminate any fire hazards from your home. Fire is a real danger, and a few minutes of work now may save your life later. My friends and I made it out of our house within a few minutes. However, we later learned that the heroic extinguishing wasn't the best move; we should have all left the premises immediately.

When fire strikes at Penn again, I hope you will be prepared.

Stephen Morse is a junior English and history major from Oceanside, N.Y. Morsels of Wisdom appears on Wednesdays.

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