In early January, the Oxford Fire Department received a grant that will provide off-campus Miami University students with more advanced fire protection, according to Fire Chief John Detherage.
Through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) the department got $70,000 and used the funds to purchase 4,500 photoelectric fire detectors for rental properties in the Oxford Area.
According to Detherage, the desire to pursue this grant and other precautionary measures comes from the memory of a house fire that killed three Miami students in 2005. "These devices detect these smoldering, slow burning fires better than ionization detectors, and the goal is to have both in all of rental houses," Detherage said.
The photoelectric detectors also have 10-year battery lives and are much less sensitive to false alarms such as shower steam, prompting Detherage to believe there will be less reason to take the batteries out.
So far 200 to 300 photoelectric fire detectors have already been distributed and installed throughout Oxford with more shipments trickling in frequently.
"It's a fraternity and sorority initiative to assist rental agencies in the area with the installation of the new detectors," Director of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life Jennifer Levering said. "I hope it will help students who live off campus think about fire safety in their houses."
There is no formal program for distributing the devices yet in place but Levering hopes to have one running by the end of the semester. Currently, the fire department distributes fire detectors to local renting agencies. However, if these agencies are unable to install them on their own, the Greek community is encouraged to help put them in their on and off campus houses.
Even though there is no official program in place, Levering believes this initiative will continue to grow.
"I did something similar to this at a previous institution, and it worked great," Levering said.
For at least one student, fire safety is never neglected.
Sophomore Dylan Grafe has had his fair share of fire experiences, with four fires in various residences in Oxford over the past two years.
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"Though my house is completely up to fire code and we all abide by the rules and regulations of the Oxford Fire Department, there are some things that those rules just can't stop from happening," Grafe said. "Regulation can make people use stoves correctly and have full fire extinguishers, but they can't stop the 22 most dangerous things in the kitchen [his fraternity brothers] from constantly making me fear for my life."
Both Grafe and Chief Detherage have similar advice for students regarding fire safety in the future.
"If people are smoking inside, put out materials, don't fall asleep with smoking materials in hand and when people fall asleep make sure someone's checking couches. The biggest thing is making sure someone is coherent enough to check these things," Detherage said.
Grafe takes comfort in the new photoelectric detectors.
"I think the fire detector program will definitely subdue a few worries I have," Grafe said.
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