ACU students saw firsthand Friday how fast a small dorm fire can spread and envelop an entire room.
The Office of Risk Management teamed up with the Abilene Fire Department for its eighth-annual Burn Room demonstration after Chapel Friday. A replica dorm room was assembled on the lawn just north of Moody Coliseum, complete with furniture, clothes and other dorm room décor. A small fire was lit and engulfed the entire room in minutes. Firefighters from AFD Station No. 5 had the fire put out within a few seconds.
“It’s visual. It gets all of the senses involved,” said Guy Saylor, safety manager for the Office of Risk Management. “Students can feel the heat and see just how quickly the fire takes over.”
The fire in the trash can was lit at 11:40 a.m., and the entire room was filled with flames in only seven minutes. Saylor said the intended purpose of the annual demonstration is to show students how fast unintentional fires can ignite and spread.
“The vast majority of fires in residence halls are due to unattended cooking. People leave for a few minutes, and fires can start,” Saylor said. “We have a list of approved and unapproved devices students can have in their rooms in the student handbook.”
Saylor said the other main causes of fires are hair dryers, curling irons and electrical overloads in wall sockets.
Lieut. Greg Goettsch, public information officer for AFD, said the Burn Room demonstration is beneficial for all students, even those who don’t live on campus. However, he said the demonstration is particularly beneficial for ACU’s newest students.
“I think it benefits the freshmen more than anybody. Mom and Dad have watched for fire safety for them, but now they are on their own,” Goettsch said. “It’s good for them to see what can happen.”
Goettsch said the fire in a dorm room can reach more than 1,000 degrees within just a few minutes. He said the best way to prevent fires is to learn about the dangers they present. He said dorms and other buildings are more fire resistant than they used to be, but dangers still exist.
ACU students have been successful in preventing fires in the past. He said the last major dorm room fire he can remember was more than 10 years ago.
“I think ACU has been outstanding about preventing fires,” Goettsch said. “People have done a good job of making students aware, and the numbers show it.”
Other fire safety activities on Friday included fire drills in the dorms at 6:30 a.m. and a fire drill in Moody Coliseum as Chapel came to an end.
