Campus Fire Safety Month was first launched in 2005 when a group of parents who had lost children in campus fires sent a letter to all fifty governors asking them to sign a proclamation designating September as Campus Fire Safety Month. Twelve governors responded to this request, which then grew to 31 states in 2007. In addition, the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution introduced by Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) and a resolution introduced by Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) was passed in the House of Representatives. (Since a Session of Congress lasts two years, these resolutions are in effect for 2007 and 2008.)
For 2008, 9 states immediately issue proclamations after receiving a request from the parents.
Campus Fire Safety Month has served as an incentive for schools across the country to reach out to their students and teach them the importance of knowing how to avoid having a fire or, if one should break out, what to do. Each year there are thousands of fires both on- and off-campus at our nation's campuses, and it is critically important that students be made aware of their personal responsibility. It is also vital that parents be involved in helping their children select fire-safe housing.
"Talk to your kids," implored Kimberly Wencl, who lost her daughter, Liz, in an off-campus fire at the University of Minnesota. "They think they are invincible at this age, but they aren't. We all have a responsibility as parents, schools and communities, but in the end it all comes down to our children taking responsibility for their own safety and actions, but only if they know what to do. Talk to them."
Liz Wencl
