According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an average of 1,300 fires occur each year in residential dorms. Although the death toll of these disasters is low, they cost a cumulative $4.1 million dollars in property damage annually.
The agency, which is an entity of the Department of Homeland Security, has labeled college students "at risk occupants" for a number of reasons, including student apathy and ignoring fire alarms. According to the Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System, arson is the leading cause of dormitory fires, accounting for more than one-third of dorm fires. Cooking comes in second, causing 20 percent of dorm fires.
Having a working smoke alarm more than doubles one's chances of surviving a fire, according to the group. Every room has been hardwired with smoke detectors, according to Jim McMahon, dean of Residence Life. He also said that each residence hall has two fire drills a year in order to get the students acquainted with evacuation procedures.
"There was a fire in Schroeder Hall three years ago when curtains caught on fire," McMahon said. "The building was evacuated promptly and no one was hurt, but there was smoke damage."
The preparedness of Marquette's dorms has some students concerned. "For the most part I am not afraid of the actual fire but more worried about the preparedness of the dorm," said Ted Collins, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences and a McCormick Hall resident. "There are only two ways out and for the people living on the 11th and 12th floor that could be a problem," he said.
"I take comfort in the fact that the resident assistants key into every room in order to make sure that everyone gets out."
Recent developments in paint production bring good news.
The Dorm Room Fire Test Group is composed of architects, fire protection engineers and scientists and tests new technology in passive fire protection systems, which prevent fires from happening in the first place or stifle them if they do occur. On Oct. 1, they successfully tested a new epoxy-based paint called Refractory Intumescent Paint, which effectively contained a test fire in a mock dorm room.
"At three hundred degrees, the paint expands like a marshmallow and creates a barrier for the walls," says Eric Ciccone, the group facilitator. "The barrier deflects heat from whatever it is painted on and even though the contents of the room ignite, the structure contains the fire and does not contribute to the fire."
The paint limits the fire and delays the crucial flash-over point — when superheated gases begin to exaggerate the fire's damage — an extra six to seven minutes, effectively allowing students more time to evacuate. After this flash-over point passes, the chances of surviving a fire are significantly lower.
"The paint is not entirely new idea, but it has been perfected," Ciccone said. Ciccone also explains that it is a "brand new type of flame resistant paint that was being tested for the military and is just coming out of the laboratory."
Although the tests showed impressive results, Ciccone said the new paint is not the solution to dorm room fires.