The University of Wisconsin’s Health and Safety department, UW Housing and the Madison Fire Department teamed up to kick off a new campus fire safety event to celebrate National Campus Fire Safety Month.
This year marks the first annual campus fire safety event. The event allows students, faculty and staff to participate in a variety of different activities to learn about ways to be safe in the event of a fire, UW Environmental Health Manager Jeff Schiller said.
Booths lined up outside Gordons offer fun safety activities.
Participants learned how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a real fire, entered a raffle to win a prize, practiced putting on actual fire gear in order rescue a fake victim from a fire as well as participated in a safety survey to receive a free slice of pizza or a t-shirt.
“Our purpose is to raise awareness and to provide fire extinguish training, to give kids, faculty and staff — mostly students — so that they have exposure to fire safety,” Schiller said.
The event also featured Madison Police Department’s fire trucks, UWPD alcohol impairment simulation goggles, a fire safety house and a fire safety sprinkler trailer.
MFD truck parked outside Sellery Hall
The UW Health and Safety department also gives private training lessons outside of the event for those who want to learn how to use a fire extinguisher, Schiller said.
This is the second event being held for Fire Safety Month. The first event took place last week in front of the Wisconsin Institue for Discovery Building and the third event is planned to take place Sept. 17 at the Eagle Heights Community Center.
UW also scheduled its annual fire drills later this month for Sept. 21 and 24.
