Authorities still don't know cause of Stout fire
Tragedy a reminder to students on safety
Nicole Strittmater
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News
"In a strange house your chances of escaping are even less," he said. "You might take the wrong route and waste valuable time."
Associate dean of Student Life and Diversity Jodie Thesing-Ritter said it is also good for roommates to figure out what they would do in the case of a fire.
"I think it's important for every house to have a house meeting and to talk about precautions that they might take," she said.
Brad Olson, a UW-Eau Claire student, died in a house fire in 1994 due to a misuse of smoking materials, Gee said.
He was trapped in his second floor bedroom after someone from the first floor left a cigarette in the trash. The batteries had been taken out of the smoke detector.
He tried going out the window but flames were already too high, Gee said, and the stairs were filled with smoke. Had the smoke alarms been working, he would have a better chance of escaping, Gee said.
Thesing-Ritter said when that happened, the campus made a national video on fire safety and prevention, "Get Out and Stay Alive," to raise awareness.
The movie stresses the importance of getting out at the first sign of smoke, not wasting time trying to gather belongings.
A whole house or dorm can burn out of control in just three minutes and can double every thirty seconds, according to the movie.
A smoldering fire can create a lot of toxic gas, so that's why crawling is so important, Gee said.
"One breath of that will knock you right down," he said.
The air towards the floor is safer and cooler, because the dangerous gasses are closer to the ceiling.
In addition, he said people should always have two ways out of the room they're in.
Sophomore Amber Daugs lives off-campus and said her dad, who is a builder, made sure her property is safe.
"I feel pretty safe about it. I've been in some cases, though, where I kind of wonder," she said. "Some of the college houses I kind of wonder if they're up to code, especially with electrical."
Gee said people in the dorms aren't free from fear. They're lulled into a false sense of community, because all of it is metal, brick and glass, he said.
"One foam mattress burning in a confined space can kill dozens of people," he said.
Sophomore Jessica Niesing lives in the residence halls but said she doesn't really think about the possibility of a fire.
"If I really think about it, yeah, that would be a really dangerous situation, but it's not something that consumes me," she said.
Gee said just being more careful and aware of what's going on can save lives.
"When you're young, you're immortal, but unfortunately that's not always the case."
Associate dean of Student Life and Diversity Jodie Thesing-Ritter said it is also good for roommates to figure out what they would do in the case of a fire.
"I think it's important for every house to have a house meeting and to talk about precautions that they might take," she said.
Brad Olson, a UW-Eau Claire student, died in a house fire in 1994 due to a misuse of smoking materials, Gee said.
He was trapped in his second floor bedroom after someone from the first floor left a cigarette in the trash. The batteries had been taken out of the smoke detector.
He tried going out the window but flames were already too high, Gee said, and the stairs were filled with smoke. Had the smoke alarms been working, he would have a better chance of escaping, Gee said.
Thesing-Ritter said when that happened, the campus made a national video on fire safety and prevention, "Get Out and Stay Alive," to raise awareness.
The movie stresses the importance of getting out at the first sign of smoke, not wasting time trying to gather belongings.
A whole house or dorm can burn out of control in just three minutes and can double every thirty seconds, according to the movie.
A smoldering fire can create a lot of toxic gas, so that's why crawling is so important, Gee said.
"One breath of that will knock you right down," he said.
The air towards the floor is safer and cooler, because the dangerous gasses are closer to the ceiling.
In addition, he said people should always have two ways out of the room they're in.
Sophomore Amber Daugs lives off-campus and said her dad, who is a builder, made sure her property is safe.
"I feel pretty safe about it. I've been in some cases, though, where I kind of wonder," she said. "Some of the college houses I kind of wonder if they're up to code, especially with electrical."
Gee said people in the dorms aren't free from fear. They're lulled into a false sense of community, because all of it is metal, brick and glass, he said.
"One foam mattress burning in a confined space can kill dozens of people," he said.
Sophomore Jessica Niesing lives in the residence halls but said she doesn't really think about the possibility of a fire.
"If I really think about it, yeah, that would be a really dangerous situation, but it's not something that consumes me," she said.
Gee said just being more careful and aware of what's going on can save lives.
"When you're young, you're immortal, but unfortunately that's not always the case."
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