Students R.A.C.E. to fire safety

Students are often prepared for a variety of things: pop-quizzes, hangovers, exams, and resident assistants on duty. But are they prepared for more life threatening things such as a fire?

Students at the University at Albany last Tuesday got the chance to learn and practice the essentials necessary to survive a fire during a program given by the Universities Office of Environmental Health and Safety. The hour-long event was held on Indian Quad and was presented by Fire Protection Technician Gregory Amyot.

Beginning in the Penthouse on Indian Quad, Amyot started the event with a brief dialogue on the necessity to be prepared, talking of "what-ifs" and the basic science behind fire. He then recited two acronyms, R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S. both of which are useful directions on what to do during a fire incident.

"If you discover a fire I want you to R.A.C.E." Amyot said.

R.A.C.E. stands for: Rescue anyone in danger, Activate the fire alarm, Contain the fire by shutting a door, and Extinguish the fire.

The second acronym was in line with the advertised purpose of the night, P.A.S.S., the basic directions of using a fire extinguisher. P.A.S.S. directs students to Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Sweep the spray at the base of the fire.

A DVD was then played that highlighted campus fire incidents across the nation that resulted in fatalities and injuries, using them to impress the importance of fire safety.

The event then transitioned venue to the quad grounds below. The interactive portion of the night began with Amyot wielding the controls to a propane fueled fire extinguisher trainer.

Students began to step up and try their hand at using an extinguisher to put out real fire.

By the end of the night, the crowd following the demonstration was up to 30 people.

Amyot said that the Office of Environmental Health and Safety is able to provide this training at request, and he encouraged anyone to get in contact with him about providing this program elsewhere on campus.

Amyot spoke of the goals his office had in mind when it came to students and fire emergencies.

"We don't really want the students to necessarily use fire extinguishers, we want them to have the education to understand how to if they could.

Our main focus is for them to get out," he said.