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Editor's note: Tonight on Weekend Nightly News, Lea Thompson reports on off-campus fires. She offers up these tips for parents with kids in college.
We spend all our kids' lives preparing them for college. We spend most of our lives coming up with the money to pay for it. But did you ever even think your child could die in an off-campus fire? Did you ever dream that cheap, hole-in-the-wall place your son is living in could go up like a tinderbox?
I am the parent of three college graduates and I am embarrassed to tell you that I just never thought enough about whether, when they moved off-campus, they were living in a firetrap. So what would I look for now that I have been educated by the experts?
-- Has the place your child is moving into ever been inspected? Has it ever had any citations? Knowing what I know today, I really would go to the trouble to visit City Hall and find out.
-- I wouldn't even check to find out if the smoke detectors are working. I would just go to the nearest hardware store and buy a new one. You want to put it on the ceiling right over every sleeping area, in the kitchen, and where kids are most likely going to hang out.
-- Does every bedroom have two ways to get out? It should. Just imagine your child having to jump from the third floor. At least get one of those metal ladders that folds and can go under the bed.
-- We saw a lot of windows that wouldn't open on our inspections. Many old buildings have windows that have been painted shut or painted so many times that it takes real effort to move them up and down.
-- Avoid halogen lamps and space heaters: They really are fire starters. And no 100 watt light bulbs. They really are too hot.
-- A lot of old houses have lousy electrical work and not enough plugs. Go to the basement and see what's down there. Electrical strips should not be daisy chained together. Also put your hand on the wall outlet; if it's hot or even warm, fewer electronics should be plugged in.
-- The No. 1 cause of campus fires is cooking. Inspect what your kids are going to cook on.
-- Fire inspectors hate couches on front porches. They are too often fire starters. Students drink, they smoke, they fall asleep, and hours later the smoldering couch becomes an inferno.
Want to know even more? There is a nonprofit organization that has a terrific Web site for you and your children. Check out The Center for Campus Fire Safety.
Also, check to see if The Princeton Review has ranked the college or university your daughter or son is interested in or attending. There are about 500 schools rated at PrincetonReview.com. Just know they are rated based on a self-reporting system and what you see there is only for on-campus housing.
Read more from Lea Thompson
When the Saints go marching in
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Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b0aa69e200d834ec07f969e2
I have thought about getting a mask that would allow me to escape from a fire(clearly ya never know)...Portability would be key.....Rebecca can you tell me more about the firemask. I went to www.myfiremask.com and checked it out...looks like it might meet my need, it looks portable and can fit almost anywhere...how big is it??
dani,montclair,nj (Sent Feb 28, 2007 5:04:38 PM)
Thanks for the great suggestions above, another I recommend is to stock the house with fire masks, which can add valuable and potentially life-saving minutes to the time you have to escape a fire. I got mine at www.myfiremask.com.
Rebecca, Hoboken, NJ (Sent Feb 28, 2007 12:46:14 PM)
These are all good suggestions, but there is one, good life lesson here: No matter where you live, work or play in your lifetime, always know where the emergency exits are. A friend, who is a Cabin Crew Member, once mentioned that she watches people drink on planes to loosen up. She pointed out that in an emergency, you are going to have to save yourself, because you and your wits are all you have. So always know where the emergency exits are (and drink in moderation on planes, I suppose).
Barbara, Tullahoma, TN (Sent Sep 25, 2006 1:44:36 PM)
Good advice! A couple of years ago we experienced a fire in our kitchen because our built in oven was not wired correctly. We put it out with our fire extinguisher before it got inside the walls. A little planning ahead can make a big difference if a fire does occur. Thanks for the reminder that we need make sure our children are prepared as well.
Cynthia, Houston, TX (Sent Sep 25, 2006 1:33:15 PM)
Raising the interest rate on subsidized loans doesn't help me out much either. It's also nice that the price of tuition at public universities are rising at a rate greater than the rate of inflation. It seems that middle-class students like myself cannot afford to live in safe housing because a disproportionate amount of my loans and grants go towards tuition. I'm glad I can help other Americans bear the cross for the wealthiest 1% of the country's tax-break. Thanks a lot.
John Elwis, Dallas, Texas (Sent Sep 25, 2006 6:07:59 AM)
When I attended a small-town college during the late 70's, it had the rule that unless you already lived in the community or otherwise commuting distance, you had to live on-campus either in a dorm or a frat house. I think that would be the best idea.
But that college was small enough to have enough dorm space for all of its out-of-town students, which I imagine a lot of larger schools wouldn't have, due to space, cost limitations, etc.
So when college students have to look for a place to live off-campus, as you said, their parents should check it out before they move in, and do everything else mentioned. (I wonder how many parents, not to mention students, have thought of the possibility of off-campus fires?)
Also, communities should do more to regulate off-campus housing. For example, regarding couches, etc., on porches--sometime ago Normal, Illinois (where Illinois State University is located) passed an ordinance against having "indoor furniture" anyplace outside, precisely because of the sort of fire hazard you mention.
Olivia Elizabeth Burdon, Peoria, Ill. (Sent Sep 24, 2006 2:02:09 PM)
The spoiled kids better get a job while going to college if they want to afford a fireproof place to live. I and many others had to! They need to face the hard facts of life. How else will they be able to brag of their missery while gaining knowledge.
(Sent Sep 24, 2006 12:26:19 PM)
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