West Virginia University is one of three universities that will participate in a national campus fire safety community service project this fall.

The project is part of the Five Prevention and Safety Grant by the Michael H. Minger Foundation. It will provide opportunities for members of student organizations to work alongside the Morgantown Fire Department to deliver fire prevention to the community.

Beginning in October, students and local firefighters will visit homes in the community to test and install smoke alarms and special devices for the deaf or hard of hearing in homes in the community.

“This is a great opportunity for WVU students to gain fire safety education while engaging in community service,” said Ron Justice, director of Student Organizations Services. “The cooperation between the Morgantown Fire Department and WVU will enable students to give back to the community.”

This new approach to fire safety will allow students and firefighters to visit at-risk homes in the community. Statistically, the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income housing and off-campus student housing are populations at a higher risk for fire.

“This is a great way to get students interested in campus fire safety,” Justice said. “Not only will they help make their community safer, but they will gain knowledge that they can use the rest of their lives.”

All students interested in volunteering on this project will be able sign up on iServe.

This project has already been successful in North Carolina and Kentucky, and this year West Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi will work with liaison Ed Comeau from Campus Firewatch and the Minger Foundation to make their communities safer.

“We feel safe knowing the city of Morgantown and WVU Student Organizations care about all students, on and off campus, with the new fire prevention and training program,” said Aimee Williams, a senior social work student from Fayetteville.

The Foundation will provide smoke alarms and devices for the deaf and hard of hearing for the teams to install, and iPads to document the installations as well as showing fire safety videos to the occupants on a variety of different topics.

During the visits, the teams will evaluate the greatest risks to the home owner, such as cooking, smoking, candles, alternative heating, etc., and then focus on the top one or two issues to have the greatest impact.

For more information on the Michael H. Minger Foundation, go to The Michael H. Minger Foundation: Promoting Campus Fire Safety.

In 2010, the Minger Foundation was awarded the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant by the Department of Homeland Security to create this campus fire safety community service program. The Foundation’s mission is to raise the awareness and standards of campus fire safety for all students with a special focus on students with disabilities.

-WVU-

ta/09/16/13

CONTACT: Ron Justice, Student Organizations Services
304.293.4605, Ron.Justice@mail.wvu.edu

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