In an effort to provide basic fire knowledge to fraternity residents, West Virginia University Environmental Health and Safety is sponsoring its’ first Fraternity Fire Academy on Sept. 14-17 and Sept. 21-24 from 4-6 p.m.

During the academy, experts from Environmental Health and Safety will conduct workshops with residents at several fraternities.

WVU Student Affairs is working to restore and maintain the six fraternity houses being leased and one fraternity house owned by the University. About 22-36 students live in each fraternity house.

According to the national publication, Campus Firewatch, 135 people have died in campus-related fires since 2000.

“Fraternities have had a rich history at West Virginia University and they are in the process of restoring their traditions of excellence within the community. We hope that the fire academy will help them attain their goals. In the coming years, we hope to reach out to sororities as well. Our goal is to prevent any fire tragedies from occurring on our campus,” said Terri Konchesky, a fire prevention specialist for WVU Environmental Health and Safety, who will be administering training during the Fraternity Fire Academy.

The Fraternity Fire Academy will provide a number of presentations and hands on experiences including:
• A live burn building to demonstrate the speed at which fire engulfs a room and the effectiveness of sprinkler systems. This will occur on Sept. 24th in WVU Parking Area 14 across from the fraternity houses. It is dependent on weather and subject to change.
• A thick haze-filled hallway to demonstrate the difficulty of evacuating in smoke-filled conditions
• Fire extinguisher training
• Interactive games to reinforce safety lessons and develop a sense of teamwork
• Question and answer sessions

For more information about the Fraternity Fire Academy, please contact WVU Environmental Health and Safety at 304-293-5787.

-WVU-

dc/nk/9/08/09

CONTACT: Nancy Key,
Environmental Health and Safety
304-293-5787, 304-290-2560
nancy.key@mail.wvu.edu