A small fire broke out in a dormitory on the fifth floor of Davis Hall last Sunday. The smoke alarm was triggered at 8:55 a.m, .two hours after sunrise, and campus police immediately responded. The first officer to respond was able to use an extinguisher to put out the fire. The fire was caused by a makeup mirror pointed at a window, which amplified sunlight and ignited the sheets on a student’s mattress. Due to the police’s quick response and training, the fire only burned over the mattress, with some additional smoke damage to students’ clothing. The room’s occupants were not in the room at the time. After the Hoboken Fire Department arrived, the fire marshall released the room back to Stevens later in the day, and the mattress was replaced and occupants notified.
According to Stevens Fire Safety Coordinator Daniel Cunning, there were two key factors that allowed the fire to be extinguished so quickly and without extensive damage. The first was special training for Stevens police officers that took place last summer. Officers were trained by Cunning and his staff on basic fire response, how to use extinguishers, which type of extinguishers to use, and other critical information. The other advantage Stevens had was a communications connection with the Hoboken Fire Department. Stevens police radios now have a channel connected to the Hoboken fire dispatcher, allowing direct communication in case of fires.
Despite “everything [going] super smooth [sic],” Cunning believes we were “lucky.” There has been a growing number of incidents of students covering smoke detectors with plastic bags, likely due to e-cigarette use. If the smoke detector had been covered during this incident, Cunning speculates the entire room, and possibly a significant portion of the floor, would have been destroyed, including fire damage from the fire and water damage from the sprinklers. Cunning recommends students “be vigilant, and use common sense.” According to a recent longitudinal study from the National Fire Safety Administration (NFSA), 118 college students have died since 2000 due to university housing fires. Of those deaths, 59% involved tampered or removed smoke alarms, 75% were alcohol-related, and only 7% were male students. The NFSA recommends adoption of fire safety programs, which Stevens has been performing with greek housing and other locations, and regular room inspections.
Nobody was injured in this week’s incident. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for a more serious fire that occurred in Hoboken on Washington Street. Cunning recommends students be mindful of new appliances, and do what they can to ensure their own safety. In case of a fire, get to safety, pull the fire alarm, and call the campus police emergency number: (201) 216-3911.
