Stop. Drop. Roll.
These words have been ingrained into every child’s head since first being taught about fire, but, as newly appointed Stevens Fire Safety Coordinator Dan Cunning pointed out, few know that the logic behind the actions is to prevent the inhalation of super-heated gas with the ability to damage the upper respiratory system.
As a retired Hoboken Fire Battalion Chief, Tour Commander, and Hazmat Chief, Cunning plans to share his knowledge with the student body in order to increase safety and decrease the upwards of 60 false alarms per year. This summer, Cunning worked to upgrade campus fire detection systems and train both local authorities and resident assistants.
“My goal is to put everybody in the know,” said Cunning. “The focus will now be to make students personally responsible for their own safety.”
Cunning wants students to understand what can and will happen in a fire. He believes that a common misconception among students is that a fire won’t happen here, which he feels is not helped by the many false alarms each year that can desensitize residents.
In order to reduce the number of unnecessary alarms, Cunning has been replacing the smoke alarms with heat detectors among other locations, such as River Terrace and the Howe Center kitchens; as the heat detectors are less likely to be tripped by a mundane cause such as cooking.
Cunning worked for over three hours during the summer with the resident assistants in order to make sure that fire safety information is disseminated to all students.
“Fully making them understand what can and will happen in the event of a fire… will be a more positive approach than just threatening rules and punishment,” said Cunning of his approach to educating the campus.
The most common fire hazard on campus according to Cunning- the clutter. Blocking exits and throughways and propping open fire doors pose great risks in the case of an actual emergency and one of the main culprits of this on campus is Greek life.
“[I] am working with Greek housing,” said Cunning, citing the overcrowded basements and other fire hazards, such as building construction, associated with the houses. “They scare me.”
Not only is he working to bring a greater awareness to the student body, but Cunning is also working with the local fire department.
Starting in June, the Hoboken Fire Department began touring and training in resident halls and reviewing laboratory chemical waste and storage procedures.
“Some of [the firefighters’] actions included stretching hose lines in the dorms, raising the aerial ladder behind Davis and Hayden Halls, and basic familiarization of hydrant locations, and special features like building entrances on the second or third floor,” said Cunning.
He is also working to upgrade the campus police radios to communicate directly with the local fire department and ambulance corps to decrease response time in an emergency.
“We are hitting this from every angle we can,” said Cunning.
