Since the 2006 revision of Fire Safety fines, the department has been assessing tens of thousands of dollars in violations. Last year, it was $41,000. This year, thanks to the amount knocked off by the Appeals Board process and attendance at Fire Safety seminars, the original $39,000 was reduced to $27,000. While The Argus considers fire prevention to be an indisputably important issue, we question the efficacy of the University’s Fire Safety department, which we feel has been reduced to a joke, both by students and the department itself.
The amount set for violations appears to be an arbitrary number. Why should a candle cost $100, and the deactivation of a fire extinguisher, $500? Fire Safety’s answer, that the fines should reflect those of our peer institutions, is insufficient in light of the fact that our peer institutions use a multi-level warning system. Furthermore, $500 is more than some work-study students make in one semester. It’s difficult to believe that Fire Safety truly cares about students’ lives when the department disregards the financial ramifications of its actions.
Perhaps because of this, Fire Safety is entirely disconnected from the student body. For most students, the only interaction with the department is cursing it upon noticing fine paperwork and confiscated items.
Fire Safety needs to spend more time relaying rules and expectations. We envision a dialogue between us and the department, one that has been missing since Fire Safety’s creation in 2005.
Students honestly don’t understand why certain items are prohibited—they just see dollar signs without any reasons attached. Fire Safety should work with students throughout their time here, offering air fresheners instead of incense, or safe extension cords instead of ungrounded ones. Holding a Fire Safety seminar during Spring Fling is an all-too-ironic example of Fire Safety’s disconnect from its constituents’ needs.
With students’ legitimate complaints and Fire Safety’s lack of transparency, this is one University department that is setting off alarms. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. We urge the administration to step in and put this one out.
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