Public Fire Safety Event on Campus

On April 26, the HVCC was host to a fire safety demonstration. Students, faculty, children and parents alike were given the opportunity to walk through a house fire scenario. The “house,” which was actually a camper decorated with a bedroom, living room, and kitchen, was set up to test users on knowledge of what could cause a fire. D.A. Bastiani, director of this program sponsoring the demonstration explained how the “house” worked. “We have electrical wires under the carpet, extension cords; the oven is left on with flammables on it, candles left burning, and so forth,” said Bastiani. The goal of this part of the test is for users to point out problematic areas which could lead to fire. The house is also complete with theatrical smoke and heating pads to teach users how to properly escape a burning room. “[We teach] people to crawl low, [as smoke] rises, so the air is clearer,” said Bastiani. “What would [you] do if [you] woke up in the middle of the night [to the sound] of the fire alarm?”

Students sat through a demonstrational lesson in which they were placed in the bedroom area of the house. In the scenario, their goal was to escape the room. A smoke detector rang and smoke filled the space. As heating pads were used in the door out, students knew that they would not be able to go through, and the only option for escape was the window. Students were instructed to climb out the window and find a meeting place Bastiani explained. Parents of children who went through the demonstration spoke well of the lesson, and that it was very helpful. Bastiani said, “Our goal is to prevent fires, and teach people what to do if these situations arise.”