Fire Safety and Dorm Polocies

The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to the call at about 10:40 p. M. , but by that time the fire had already been contained by the hall's sprinkler system, officials said. No one was injured" (Caller, 2008). Here we see a fire related incident which took place at a residence hall in Michigan. Something as simple as a small electric fan could lead to large, costly damage. This incident relates to me because I made the decision to have a candle in my dorm room.

An unlit candle to most would seem extremely harmless; however, there are many ways that it could put the people around it in danger. One way that a candle could cause a large problem would be if someone were to light it and have the smoke be caught by the smoke detector. Even if the owner did not light the candle, a roommate or friend that comes in the room while the owner is gone could easily light it. Furthermore, when a candle is lit and then in turn burned out smoke is released into the air. The smoke detectors installed in dorm rooms instantly trigger a sprinkler system which floods the room with water when smoke or ire is detected.

When a room is flooded with water it affects the surrounding rooms as well. Rooms nearby will most likely have water damage as well which will definitely create a lot of unhappy residents. Not only will residents have to suffer from water damage in their rooms but they will also have to deal with temporary relocation. Students will most likely have to be moved into another dorm hall till the damage can be fixed. Unfortunately, no clean-up crew can replace textbooks, precious pictures or sentiments that could have been damaged from the flood of water or the fire.

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This is why residence halls have such a strict policy with fire related objects. Another way that candles can be of serious harm to those who surround it is through neglect. Say a resident decided to light a candle and then left it burning while they went to take a shower; a gust of wind from a closing door could easily cause a piece of paper on a desk to blow near it and catch fire and in turn begin to create a much larger fire from that. This is a simple scenario that shows how a simple candle on a desk could lead to a much larger problem.

Another case where a residence hall fire caused severe damage was the Poland Hall Fire. "The fire began around 4:30 AM on January 19 when most students were asleep. It spread rapidly across three couches in the third floor lounge and approached temperatures of up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit (81 5 degrees Celsius) in less than five minutes. Though no accelerate was used, the fire burned hot enough to melt the synthetic carpet of the hall, causing severe injuries to many of the students attempting to escape the conflagration by crawling on the floor to reach the stairs.

Most students on the third floor evacuated in the thick smoke using the staircases; a few Jumped over 40 feet (12 meters) to the ground. Three students died. Aaron Karol and Frank Calibrator died of thermal injuries, and John Giant died due to smoke inhalation. Fifty-eight students and firefighters were injured, four seriously enough to require lengthy hospital stays and rehabilitation" (Fisher, 2000). This case goes to show how intensely and quickly a fire can affect its surroundings.

Not only was the building in which the fire was started destroyed but lives were also lost along with it. Hearing about the severe damage that a building and its residents can have from a small starting fire really make you second guess your decisions. Although having a simple unlit candle can seem like it would cause no harm, in reality it could result in lives lost, buildings destroyed and families of lost or injured loved ones extreme heartache. I would never want to impose those heart aching feelings on anyone.

I now realize that my decision to own a candle in a dorm room was a terrible one. I have also learned that I need to think of all the possible outcomes of what could happen as a result of my decision making. This simple write up has changed my outlook on decision making for the better. To receive respect you must give respect which is why you need to think out your sections before you make them. I do not want my room flooded any more than the next person does so I should partake in fire conscious decisions if my other fellow residents are going to as well.

Rules are set for a reason and as much as we like to break them they are there for our safety and to prevent anything tragic from happening from one stupid mistake. Along with the fire safety rule the rule about noise policy is Just as important. The actions we make affect everyone around us and choosing to be loud during stud actions we make affect everyone around us and choosing to be loud during study ours can definitely affect your surrounding residents in a negative way.

They may be studying for a big exam that will determine whether or not they pass the class and the noise that someone is making could affect how well they retain the information they are studying. In all noise is not as large off problem as fire safety is, but it definitely something that can negatively affect its surrounding community. I have thought through my decisions of owning a candle and being too loud in the dorm room and I realize that they are both incidents that could have been avoided if I would have thought out my consequences.

If I would have known about the several cases where fires have been started from something so simple as a candle or fan I would have never made the decision to purchase one. This has been a great learning lesson for me and I now know to think my actions out before I make them.

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