UK Fire Safety & Prevention Program

Mission Statement The University of Kentucky Office of the Fire Marshal is seeking a FP&S grant of $43,182.75 to establish a comprehensive and interactive fire prevention program to protect the 27,000 students and 13,500 employees living and/or working on our campus. Funding will be used to orchestrate Campus Fire Safety Month (established by Congress and declared by Kentucky) in September; address educational and training needs throughout the year by purchasing fire extinguisher training equipment, producing promotional materials and constructing a "Live Dorm Room Burn" interactive educational tool; and support our overall goal of zero fire occurrences at our university. Vulnerability/Risk The University of Kentucky is a land grant research institution comprising residential dormitories, classrooms, laboratories, and healthcare facilities. Its 24,914 acres of land, 10,881,800 square feet of building space, 27,000 students, and 13,500 employees represent a significant target for both life safety and property conservation. Loss of or injury to the university's population, and damage and/or destruction of campus buildings and research data pose a severe economic and life safety risk to our community and the state of Kentucky. Statistics indicate that from January 2000 to the present, over 134 people have died in campus-related fire incidents (Campus Fire Watch; U.S. Fire Administration). Over 84% of these incidents have occurred in off-campus housing, while 16% occurred in on-campus residence and Greek housing. Further research indicates a 61% increase in the number of fatalities from 2003 to 2008. Three of the most common factors contributing to these statistics are missing or disabled smoke detectors, careless disposal of smoking materials, and cooking, candles and/or incense. These are trends that are repeatedly identified and, most importantly, preventable with proper tools, education, and implementation by campus fire officials. Implementation The University of Kentucky has an established life safety and fire code enforcement program that is facilitated by the University's Fire Marshal Office. We are looking introduce new life safety initiatives by establishing a comprehensive and interactive fire prevention program. Education and training are core components of our program. We conduct life safety and fire inspections throughout all of our buildings several times per year. Additionally, we want to train all faculty, staff, and students throughout the year on fire and life safety techniques. Fire alarms, fire extinguisher training, inspections, and evacuation education are just a few tools we use to ensure the safety of all of our folks at the University of Kentucky. Statistics indicate that off-campus housing is a critical hotspot. The differences between on and off campus incidents is reflective of enforcement capabilities and educational efforts of our Fire Marshal. Campus Fire Safety Month is an outstanding opportunity to address the needs of off-campus and on-campus life safety needs. It gives us a physical presence to educate all on and off campus students, faculty, and staff of the university and including the hospitals. Interactive activities, educational lectures, and live fire demonstrations will take place throughout the month. Promotional materials will be distributed during the month and created using our live demonstrations for future use for training and education. A Live Dorm Room Burn (Mobile Fire Simulation Unit) will allow students to visualize the importance of having working smoke detectors, sprinklers, and evacuation plans. It will demonstrate the ramifications of disregarding rules and dispel the "It can never happen to me" mantra. It will highlight the importance of fire drills and knowing your exits and escape routes. Most importantly, it will offer tools and resources for them to save themselves in the event of a fire and prevent fires from occurring. Campus Fire Safety Month will allow us to reach the largest group of folks in the shortest amount of time, establishing a foundation of fire safety knowledge for which to build our message of fire and life safety education and training throughout the year. Promotion of this event will continue throughout the year during campus personnel interaction (training, sporting events, campus newspaper and radio, special events, i.e. Greek Week, student recruitment, etc.). Campus Fire Safety Month is the springboard for the fire prevention education and training program that we continue throughout the year. In addition, our established relationships between the University, the Kentucky State Fire Marshal, and our local municipal fire departments allow us to deliver our prevention programs to a multitude of community stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to, target groups in K through 12, elderly/disabled individuals, community colleges, and additional institutions throughout the state of Kentucky. The Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Division of Fire and Public Community Services Bureau have a dedicated Public Education Unit. This unit provides public outreach to citizens, community organizations, and local school systems in the arena of fire and life safety education. Classroom indoctrination can be supplemented by the utilization of our Live Dorm Room Burn (Mobile Fire Simulation Unit) and will have a more sustainable impact as it relates to training effectiveness and instilling a culture of fire prevention awareness. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is comprised of 65 individual campuses with an enrollment of 86,475 students. Although no residence halls/dormitories exist within the system, numerous laboratories and classroom buildings abound that are occupied on a daily basis by these students. Collaboration with the Kentucky Community and Technical College system and the University of Kentucky will ensure that the Mobile Fire Simulation Unit and educational material is utilized to provide training to these students on a level that otherwise may not occur. We anticipate an average usage rate of our Mobile Fire Simulation Unit of three (3) times per month.