At an Alpha Chi Omega event the evening of Feb. 13, one of the fireplaces in Sears House became very smoky, setting off the fire alarm. Two AXO sisters had previously attended fireplace safety training, which is required for fireplace use.
In the past, this training has been inconsistently offered, but the Office of Residential Life plans to hold it more regularly from this semester on, according to Kate Tompkins, assistant director for summer and special programs at ResLife.
In an email to the residents of Sears, one of the sorority sisters wrote, "The ladies of Alpha Chi Omega used the flue and other fireplace precautions, but the smoke was just a little too much, and the alarm went off. I want to let you all know that Sears residents were never in danger, and the alarm going off was not due to any mistakes on our part."
Representatives from program houses who want to use their fireplaces are taught how to open the flue, the safe way to start a fire and what to do if the fire spreads in terms of calling the fire department and using the pull boxes in the residence halls" in a training session with fire safety officers Paul Brookes and Sue Hawksley, Tompkins said.
"We shouldn't assume people know how to use a fireplace. Someone who does needs to teach those who don't," said Thomas Forsberg, associate director of housing and residential life. "If you start a fire that causes a building to be evacuated, does property damage or potentially hurts someone, there are lots of ramifications."
The University also inspects fireplaces that are in use to make sure they are working properly.
"We want people to be safe," Forsberg said.
