On an individual level, fire preparedness is perhaps one of the simpler facets of survival awareness. The do-and-do-not list is fairly binary, and most homes have at least some form of protection – by code if not by intention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, Dr. Bradley\u2019s Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family<\/em> does not even devote a dedicated chapter to fire events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Public spaces, however, are another matter. Procedures are again rather black and white. Exits are marked, extinguishers are usually available, sprinklers abound, and there are even maps in some buildings highlighting the quickest egress. Yours truly produced the various fire maps you\u2019ll find tucked into the corners of hallways across the University of Kentucky\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now add drills, classes, seminars, and signage. The question becomes: are we overexposed? Picture the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A smoke alarm blares. It\u2019s three in the morning. You\u2019re exhausted. Tomorrow is a big day. It\u2019s cold and probably raining. Your professor couldn\u2019t care less if you were up all night, and the last three alarms were false. Odds are this one is, too. Or maybe a small trash can fire smolders next door – harmless now, but in less than two minutes, the hallway could be impassable. Do you wait, gather up comfortable clothes and your phone before shuffling outside? Or do you just go back to bed? (Caskey, 2017)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Statistics suggest going back to bed is the best choice – until the one time it isn’t. Can anything be done to \u201cpierce the fog,\u201d as it were? Emergency authorities believe so. They’ve borrowed a technique from good storytelling: show, don\u2019t tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September 2010, the UK Fire Marshal\u2019s Office launched the Don\u2019t Be an Ash<\/em> program and began staging live dorm room burn demonstrations at public events to raise awareness among students and staff. \u201cFlashover\u201d may be a dry term – a specific ignition temperature at which all combustibles in a space ignite at once – but watching it happen changes everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So – has it made a difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the University of Kentucky Campus Fire Log (2018), between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014, there were 1,913 reported fire incidents on campus. Of those, four resulted in injuries. By comparison, from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2009, there were 2,116 reported incidents – five with injuries. Running some basic analysis produces the following results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are of course many unexplored factors affecting incident and injury rates, these results suggest that showing, not just telling, may improve engagement. Still, balance is key. After awareness comes action – and it\u2019s crucial that people know what the right actions are when the alarm goes off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Caskey, D. V. (2017, January 14). Project 2 \u2013 Scene Depiction. Retrieved March 29, 2018, from https:\/\/www.caskeys.com\/dc\/project-2-scene-depiction-project\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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