Wilton Fire Marshal's Office

The Wilton Fire Marshal's Office would like to inform the senior class and their families that each year, more than 1,300 fires occur in residence halls and Greek housing on college campuses around the country. An untold number occur in off-campus housing such as rented apartments and houses also. Whether you live in a residence hall, Greek housing or an off-campus apartment, you will be a part of a larger community. And what you do may have a profound affect on those living with you. The Wilton Fire Marshal's Office would like to invite you to watch two video's we now have playing on the Town's cable access channel.

The "Residence Hall Fire" video is now being broadcast on cable channel 79 at 10 AM and 10 PM each day. This video depicts a simulated version of a fully furnished room in a residence hall. The room is made up of items that are found in many rooms such as books, CDs, bed dressing, candles and clothes. Through the use of real fire footage and personal testimonials, the video shows students the possible fire hazards that surround them every day. Safety tips are presented to remind them about fire prevention, detection and suppression and engage them to form an escape plan ahead of time. Following the feature presentation, the fire is shown in its entirety from ignition through flashover. An outlet was overloaded with appliances and other electronics. It was ignited to imitate an electrical fire. The fire reaches flashover 7 minutes after ignition.

The second video "Get Out and Stay Alive" is a story about three college students that didn't get out. The video stresses ways to "get out" should you become trapped in a fire, ways to prevent fires from getting started, and encourages students to make an escape plan before the unthinkable really happens. It is our sincere wishes that no one ever experience a fire in a "dorm setting" but if it does happen the Wilton Fire Marshal's Office feels that knowledge can replace fear, and knowing what to do during a fire emergency can save your life and the lives of your fellow students.

Please take the time out of your busy day or evening to watch or at least tape and watch later our 2 tapes (a total of 30 minutes) cable channel 79 at 10 AM and 10 PM every day in April. The information on these tapes will change the way you think about fires and could make a real difference in having a future.

Sincerely,
William Meehan, CFPS
Fire Inspector