October is Fire Safety Month, and students at the University of Tennessee are taking action! Asante Knowles, Resident Assistant in Hess Hall, recently entered the Campus Fire Safety Contest by submitting a short narrative to help raise awareness about campus fire safety. Congratulations, Asante!
Asante’s Submission:
“When talking about fire safety and protection the first step would be prevention. Before we attempt to protect ourselves from the dangers of fire we should take the necessary precautions to lower the chance of a fire occurring. We should be aware of the type extension cords we are using, limit the types of decorations in buildings. People should be familiar with the correct methods of using a fire extinguisher. P.A.S.S; pull the pin, then aim the hose, squeeze the handle, and finally swipe to suffocate the fire. People who are using the facility should be aware of all nearby fire exits. Understanding how fire works is an essential part of safety. Fire grows rapidly. Every 8 seconds a fire has the potential to grow twice in size. Knowing about fire, also incorporates knowing the different types of fire. For most people, it is common sense to throw water on fire. That does not work for grease fries and electrical fires. Using water for these fires could be more hazardous, it’s best to suffocate fires because a fire cannot exist without oxygen. Another big part of fire safety is SMOKE. Smoke kills more than the actual fire, so its always important to remember to get low because smoke rises. The biggest part of fire safety is to get out the building and let the professionals take care of it.”
To learn more about campus fire safety, click here