Improvements make residence halls more fire resistant

Jeffrey Pierre / Assistant News Director

In the last year, three grease fires took place within the residence halls — two at Parkview and one at the university apartments. But with the three minor incidents, John Tallon took the fire as a signal as to improve safety for housing students.

Kitchen fires are responsible for most of the fires that occur in the dormitories here and at other universities, according to Tallon, assistant director of facilities at housing. Students are unaware of proper procedures on dosing kitchen fires and, moreover, understanding the different sources and types of fires: electric, grease and heat.

“Grease is a very likely source for where fires begin,” said Tallon. “A lot of students don’t realize that if a fire breaks out, pouring water can actually make it significantly worse.”

Ensuing from a $28 thousand project, Tallon, who oversees all custodial and maintenance efforts at the University, installed a pair of Stovestop Firestops, devices that function as an automatic fire extinguisher, onto each cooking unit in every residence hall equipped with electric stovetops.

After installing over 750 devices, the University joins 14 other schools in the nation that incorporate Firestops devices as a part of their respective set of fire-safety procedures.

“We wanted to make sure that if there was a fire it could easily be put out,” Tallon said.

One factor that made Firestops the most attractive option to Tallon was they were “something fool-proof, that didn’t require people to get involved,” and also “provided an instant and automatic response.”

Each Firestop device –– no bigger than a can of tuna –– contains about 8 ounces of a harmless fire extinguishing powder, comprised mostly of sodium bicarbonate. The can is attached under the stove hood by a magnet and, through a fuse similar to a firecracker, is automatically initiated after direct contact with a flame.

The Firestop’s flame retardant powder has the capability to douse flames up to 32 inches high. One device can cover up to two burners and can reach even beyond the stove.

Despite the Firestop’s small size, Tallon says the Firestops will play a large role in preventing kitchen fires in the residence halls. Moreover, it helps the University keep costs down.

“One fire that we had in Parkview, that set the sprinklers off, cost $40 thousand to clean up the water in that building,” said Tallon. “If these [Firestops] stop the sprinklers from going off once, they already paid for themselves.”

Housing students were unaware of their presence; however, they did not go unappreciated.

“I had no idea they were even there,” said Bryan Martinez, a senior finance major. “But I feel a lot safer knowing that they are there.”

Housing and facilities have yet face an incident to test the Firestops, but Tallon says the residence halls are in a safe place in the unfortunate case of the unseen.

–jeffrey.pierre@fiusm.com