Fire, Fire, Fire – Hey you, get out! The sign greeting more than 2,500 first-year students on University College Hill Tuesday afternoon said it all, as Western’s Fire Safety and Emergency Management team, along with London Fire Services, held its second annual live burn.
The idea behind the in-your-face demonstration is to create awareness amongst the university’s new students on how to keep themselves safe while in residence. Two mock bedrooms, complete with wall posters, beds, desk, backpacks and other items normally found in a residence, were set ablaze to prove a perilous point.
“It’s about how quickly a fire can spread and how, within just a couple minutes, a student may not be able to get out,” says Campus Community Police Service Director Elgin Austen, noting within two minutes the room was fully engulfed.
“We simply want to tell students to do the right thing and get out quick.”