Fire Prevention 101
Duke kicks off fire safety events with extinguisher training
Small mistakes can lead to a big problem, so members of Duke's Fire Safety Division are reminding faculty and staff to "stay fire smart, don't get burned" during Fire Prevention Week in October.
While the National Fire Prevention Association celebrates the week from Oct. 4 to 10, the university will hold events throughout October to educate faculty and staff about the importance of fire awareness and prevention. Events include fire extinguisher demonstrations and training, information booths and a campus visit from a Durham Fire Department truck.
"Fire prevention is everyone's job at Duke whether you're faculty, staff or a student," said Jason Shepherd, a fire protection specialist with the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office (OESO). "You can put people's lives in danger if you act in negligent ways."
Shepherd said fire prevention practices in the workplace include watching food cooked in microwaves, not overloading electrical outlets and keeping portable heaters at least three feet away from combustibles. He also said candles shouldn't be brought into offices.
As part of fire safety outreach, OESO staff will provide fire extinguisher training from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12 on the West Campus outside of the Bryan Center, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 13 on the East Campus quad and 1 to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 14 between the Bryan Research and Nanaline Duke buildings.
Employees and students can see demonstrations and practice using extinguishers on a propane machine that simulates fires. Shepherd said training would only take about five minutes.
OESO will set up fire safety information tables with visits from Sparky the Fire Dog mascot throughout October. For a full schedule ofevents, visit the Fire Safety Division website.