2008 Woodie Awards
Administrators, marshal assess fire safety
Clayton Vertrees
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Because of the equipment needed to protect the buildings on campus, Dickie Walls, Murray City Fire Marshal, said the University's presence in the city of Murray has helped raise the overall fire security of the community.
"Most of your cities within the state don't have local fire marshals or local fire prevention programs to speak of," Walls said. "The higher populations and concentrated areas of university cities call for more fire prevention activities than most cities within a state."
While fire safety has been a strong focus at Murray State for some time, Director of the Office of Environmental Safety and Health Larry Anderson admits that events like the fire in Hester College brought about a renewed concern for security.
"We always had the ambition, but we didn't always have the dollars, and money talks," Lawrence said. "The emphasis was renewed, so to speak, after the Hester fire, not just here in Murray State, but all across the state. Actually, there has been a push nationwide, not just in Kentucky to upgrade fire safety on campuses."
After the fire in Hester, sprinkler systems were installed in all the dorms, as well as state-of-the-art alarms systems, and security cameras. Also, the University encouraged an increase in training efforts and awareness among its employees.
"On a scale of one to 10, we were probably about a five or six before the sprinklers," Anderson said. "Now I would say we are about a nine."
In the case of the city of Murray, the fire department gained a new truck with a 105 foot area ladder to access the campus' tallest buildings through its involvement with the University.
Also, Anderson works closely with city firefighters to train and stay familiar with the buildings on Murray State's campus.
"The University lets us know anytime there is something new, a change or a question, and we get together and come to understandings and agreements on the best practices for handling situations," Walls said.
The Murray Fire Department and the University have been in the process of updating how fires are treated.
Within the last seven years, the University has been more diligent and strict on punishment of those who tamper with fire safety equipment, Walls says. In cases where residential college employees have seen burn marks on things like doors, the University has taken the actions seriously and charged those individuals responsible.
When reflecting on the relationship between relationship between University and the Murray Fire Department, Anderson feels confident in Walls and his men.
"I have been here 28 years," Anderson said. "We go out of the way to make sure we understand what each other is doing."
"Most of your cities within the state don't have local fire marshals or local fire prevention programs to speak of," Walls said. "The higher populations and concentrated areas of university cities call for more fire prevention activities than most cities within a state."
While fire safety has been a strong focus at Murray State for some time, Director of the Office of Environmental Safety and Health Larry Anderson admits that events like the fire in Hester College brought about a renewed concern for security.
"We always had the ambition, but we didn't always have the dollars, and money talks," Lawrence said. "The emphasis was renewed, so to speak, after the Hester fire, not just here in Murray State, but all across the state. Actually, there has been a push nationwide, not just in Kentucky to upgrade fire safety on campuses."
After the fire in Hester, sprinkler systems were installed in all the dorms, as well as state-of-the-art alarms systems, and security cameras. Also, the University encouraged an increase in training efforts and awareness among its employees.
"On a scale of one to 10, we were probably about a five or six before the sprinklers," Anderson said. "Now I would say we are about a nine."
In the case of the city of Murray, the fire department gained a new truck with a 105 foot area ladder to access the campus' tallest buildings through its involvement with the University.
Also, Anderson works closely with city firefighters to train and stay familiar with the buildings on Murray State's campus.
"The University lets us know anytime there is something new, a change or a question, and we get together and come to understandings and agreements on the best practices for handling situations," Walls said.
The Murray Fire Department and the University have been in the process of updating how fires are treated.
Within the last seven years, the University has been more diligent and strict on punishment of those who tamper with fire safety equipment, Walls says. In cases where residential college employees have seen burn marks on things like doors, the University has taken the actions seriously and charged those individuals responsible.
When reflecting on the relationship between relationship between University and the Murray Fire Department, Anderson feels confident in Walls and his men.
"I have been here 28 years," Anderson said. "We go out of the way to make sure we understand what each other is doing."
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