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The Weekly Snapshot
Your source for the latest tips, information, and current campus safety resources from the NCCPS.
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Click to download the
Campus Fire Fatalities
report (PDF).
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New Report on Campus Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings
The
U.S. Fire Administration released the report
Campus Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2000-2015) last month that examines data from fatal campus fires and the fatalities that resulted from these fires between 2000 and 2015. The goal of this report is to reveal the factors that typically lead to fire deaths of college students in residential buildings. Understanding these factors will enable college and university fire and safety officials, along with the local fire and emergency service organizations serving these institutions, to reduce and prevent future injuries and deaths.
From January 2000 to May 2015, there were 85 fatal fires in dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and off-campus housing, resulting in 118 fatalities. Only residential deaths are included in the report. This excludes college fatalities that occurred in classrooms, administrative buildings, science laboratories, dining halls, and other campus settings. Key findings from the study include:
- 94% of fatal campus fires occurred in off-campus housing
- Smoking (29%) was the leading cause of fatal campus fires
- Alcohol was a factor in 76% of fatal campus fires
- Smoke alarms were either missing or tampered with in 58% of fatal campus fires
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Fire sprinklers were not present in any of the 85 fatal campus fires
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70% of fatal campus fires occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
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67% of the victims were males
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73% of the fatal fires occurred between midnight and 6 a.m.
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April was the peak month (1%) for fatal fires in campus housing
Safety officials can use these study findings to improve on- and off-campus fire injury prevention programs. The report concludes that, "Fire safety training needs to be provided to students, especially those embarking in off-campus living. The off-campus landlords need to see the value in providing fire-safe environments for their renters. Students need to be more aware of their surroundings, especially at parties; they must ensure that they have two ways out of every room, have functioning smoke alarms, and think before they drink and smoke. Schools, parents and students must partner to reduce residential fire injuries and deaths in and around college campuses."
You may download the full
Campus Fire Fatalities in Residential Buildings (2000-2015) report
here. The U.S. Fire Administration offers
campus fire safety outreach materials that include statistics, safety tips to share with students and with colleges and universities, a public service announcement, social media messages and additional resources on campus fire safety. Campus Firewatch provides several campus fire safety videos on their
website and
YouTube channel. Please review our
news article
for additional resources to help your institution develop or enhance its fire safety education program.
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Joint Intelligence Bulletin Released Following Paris Attacks
On November 23, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and National Counterterrorism Center released a
Joint Intelligence Bulletin (JIB)
that provides a review of the tactics, methods, techniques and procedures used by the terrorists during the November 13
th
Paris attacks. The
JIB
is intended to assist federal, state, and local government counterterrorism and law enforcement officials, first responders, and private-sector security partners in proactively discouraging, identifying, preventing, preempting, or responding to terrorist threats or attacks in the United States.
This
JIB
reviews the types of attacks that took place in the Paris stadium, concert venue, and restaurant attacks as well as some follow-up raids conducted by French authorities. In addition, the review includes an overview of the attackers' possible training, planning, and ISIL's (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) apparent change in strategy, as they appear to be moving toward a more coordinated approach to attacking soft, western targets which result in mass casualties.
The
JIB
provides an outlook for future attacks both in the United States and abroad and the importance of reporting suspicious or unusual activity. A thorough list of protective measures to be considered by security personnel and behavioral indicators that may be cause for concern are included for your consideration.
If you are a campus safety or law enforcement official and would like to receive the complete Joint Intelligence Bulletin, please
email us
with your request.
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| Click to access our online calendar of events. |
Professional Development Opportunities
Title: Changes to the 2012 and 2015 ICC and NFPA Model Building & Fire Codes
Hosted by:
Center for Campus Fire Safety
Date:
Archived
Location:
Online
Fee:
Free for members, $50 for non-members
Title: Fire Smart Campus Training
Hosted by:
Center for Campus Fire Safety
Date:
On Demand
Location:
Your location
Fee:
Varies
Title:
2016 NASPA Strategies Conference: Violence Prevention*
Hosted by:
NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
Dates:
January 21-23, 2016
Location:
Orlando, FL
Fee:
Registration Fee
*NCCPS Director Kim Richmond will be presenting at two breakout sessions: Collaborating with Campus Safety Officials on Thursday, January 21, 2016 from 3:15-4:15 PM and Understanding and Implementing Trauma-Informed Sexual Assault Investigations and Adjudications, co-presented by Steven Healy and Christine Garcia, on Friday, January 22, 2016 from 9:45-11:45 AM.
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This project was supported by Grant No. 2013-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.
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