Auburn's Campus Fire Safety Month highlighted by guest speakers from 'After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes and Cowards'

Published: August 30, 2016

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Auburn University students will participate in Campus Fire Safety Month in September, a nationwide effort to raise fire prevention and life safety awareness on campuses.

"As we all know, Auburn is a very special and unique place. Unfortunately, however, our campus, like so many others across the nation, is not immune to the dangers of fire as we saw with the Lowder Hall fire in June," said Jon Haney, Auburn University safety and health specialist.

"The best way to survive a fire is to prevent one and prevention starts with education."

Auburn's Risk Management and Safety is hosting events to promote Campus Fire Safety Month. Free food, beverages and giveaway items will be available at each event: 

  • Popcorn and Prevention, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-noon, Haley Concourse. Students can eat free popcorn while learning about cooking safety and preventing accidental fire alarms. 
  • Fire Department Day and Student Challenge, Sept. 13, 2-4 p.m., Student Center green space. Students will have the opportunity to hang out with local firefighters and take part in fun challenges. 
  • Fire Extinguisher Training, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Student Center main lobby. Students will learn how to safely use a fire extinguisher along with learning new firefighting technology, like the BullEx BullsEye Laser Driven Fire Extinguisher Training System. 
  • Guest speakers Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos and a showing of "After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes and Cowards," Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m., 2370 Haley Center. Simons and Llanos will share the story of their survival during a dormitory fire at Seton Hall University in which three of their classmates passed away and 56 were injured.

"Their story is inspirational and is one that all students need to know," Haney said.

"We hope through Campus Fire Safety Month that students will realize they are not invincible, that fires do happen in campus-related settings and that students should take steps to protect themselves no matter where they live."

The schedule of events is available at https://aub.ie/8pwZSD. More information about the "After the Fire" event is available at https://aub.ie/QiAOmm.

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.