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Planned fire demonstration to raise safety awareness

Kayla Gamble

SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE

Students near the library from 12:30 to 2 p.m. may notice the live side-by-side burn demonstration of vehicles to illustrate to students about fire safety.

A burn demonstration is an event administered by local first responders where an item, such as a vehicle, is purposefully set on fire in a controlled environment so that the audience can see what the extinguishing process entails and why fire safety is important.

Eugene Banks, a Safety and Compliance Manager at USF, is working alongside Tampa’s fire department to help promote this event.

The event is apart of Fire Safety Month, where universities across the country are working with the National Fire Protection Association to inform students on fire safety.

“I want students to take two things away from this story: One fire burns very fast, every second does count,” Banks said. “Your life is too important. Two, realizing the value of buildings with sprinklers and their effectiveness in buildings.”

This event aims to show observers that every second does count because one second can lead to life or death. Banks said he wants students to know that lives are involved when fires happen and that fires can happen at anytime and anywhere.

“When you hear an alarm leave the building immediately,” Banks said. “The habit is to go the way we always come in but that isn’t always the safest route. It is the safest option to see which exit is closest to you in case of an emergency.”

USF is the first university in Florida to be working with the National Fire Protection Association on showing students the dangers and precautions to know when dealing with fires.

“It is important for all students to know about how serious fires on and what to do in case of an emergency. We hope this demo will be able to educate students,” Banks said.

Kayla Gamble

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