Firefighters light up dorm room to teach safety

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FORT COLLINS – The two makeshift dorm rooms sat side by side in the open space next to the Poudre Fire Authority's training center. Both were about to burn, one more than the other.

One had a smoke alarm, a sprinkler system and boasted a cleanliness you'd be hard-pressed to find in real dorm room.

The other featured a non-working smoke alarm, no sprinkler and piles of empty bags and miscellaneous garbage. There was also a large tapestry covering the window.

The latter room, according to PFA, is nothing but a fire hazard.

The demonstration was about to begin.

First, dozens of resident assistants charged with monitoring the Colorado State University resident halls had to take their place behind the yellow tape.

They were here to learn.

"Please work with your students to avoid these situations," Ken Quintana, director of safety and security for Housing and Dining Services, shouted out as he stood near the not-so-neat dorm room.

Laura Skaggs, a resident assistant at Westfall Hall, knew the basics.

"You can't have candles, you can't have hot plates or anything with open coils," she said.

What she didn't know was the result of an accident.

The safer dorm room was first be set on fire.

The flames remained tame as the sprinkler popped open.

"Sprinklers rule!" one RA yelled.

The unsafe dorm room was next in line.

The fire started in the trash can, then moved to the tapestry. Within seconds, the room was engulfed in flames.

"In the beginning, you're not really sure it's a good thing to enforce, like the ceiling rule, with something hanging from the ceiling," said Skaggs. "Then you see it and you're like, 'OK, that's why that rule is there.'"

This fire safety training is just one part of the training for the RAs as they prepare for the arrival of students.

Classes for both CSU and the University of Colorado begin on Aug. 25.

A note on the sprinklers: there are a few, older resident halls on the CSU campus that don't have sprinkler systems.

CSU says it's working to retrofit the buildings. The project is expected to be complete in three years.