Page 8 Connecticut Daily Campus lhunday, September 30, 1976 Firemen work to keep campus cool By GEORGE DUCACH The potential dangers of a chemistry laboratory are very obvious to all those who have worked in or visited one. This past summer an explosion oc- curred in the chemistry building that caused serious physical in- jury to a graduate student and considerable damage to equip- ment. Fortunately, the UConn Fire Department responded quickly and efficiently by arriving on the scene withing two to three mi- nutes of the call for help. Appro- priate action was then taken to assist the injured student and keep things under control. it is certainly a reassuring feeling to know there is here in Storrs a group of trained men who are capable of responding to emergencies in so short a time. Lloyd Grant. a student dis- patcher working at the fire sta- tion. explained: “I've never seen it take longer than two to three minutes for them to go from here to anywhere on campus. That is. from the time we receive the request for assis- tance to the time we notify the fire crew." Grant has worked as a dis- patcher since i973 and his bro- ther worked at the same position for two years before him. The UConn Fire Department. located on Glenbrook Road next to the University Health Services. has a staff comprised of 20 uniformed firemen. nine student dispatchers. and five fire inspec- tors who work in conjunction with the inter-Area Residents Counsel (l.A.R.C.) Chief Burton Booker. also assistant director of the Public Safety Division, said.“l am very happy with this department. They are not the type of people who say ‘that is not my job'." “People are on call four hours before and after regular working hours. with ay. Many put radios in their cars at their own expense. They are very loyal. if we need help we try to call those that are about to begin their shifts. They come in early." The department maintains two fire engines. one tanker. two ambulances and one ladder-truck. The two engines have water- pumping abilities of 750 and 500 gallons per minute. The ambulances are modern and well-equipped for administer- ing first-aid and for quick trans- port of patients. The ladder-truck has a 100-foot ladder and is housed at Four Corners and operated by the Eagleville Fire Department. The tanker was obtained from surplus. To convert it into a piece of fire apparatus. by placing fittings and pumps on it. became a two-year project. All the mechanical, construc- tion. and maintenance work was a». .:.‘ Organization and speed are essential to the smooth operation of the UConn Fire Department. Protective apparel can be seized at a moment's notice when it is well-organized [Staff Photo by Steve McGuffl FACES LOUNGE PRESENTS THURS. & FRI. "Too Much, Too Soon" done by the members of the present staff. The tanker is ‘now operative and holds 5.000 gallons of water. A tractor was donated this past summer by a trucking firm in Wethersfield. “We use it to support the surrounding communities like Ashford. Mansfield. and Coven- try." Booker said. “We are fortunate here at UConn because we have a good water supply. ' This isn't true of the surrounding communities. The brooks and streams are low this year." The tanker can be used to fight fires in areas like isolated farms where fire hydrants may not be readily available. Booker is anxious to educate the community on fire safety and prevention. “Fire Prevention Week" will begin Oct. 3 and continue until Oct. 9. It is a nationwide effort by all fire departments to try to publicize and make people aware of hazards. There will be many fire safety and prevention programs taking place throughout the country. The programs will include demonstra- tions on how to use fire equip- ment properly. There will also be radio and television spots, and Dick Van Dyke. the well-known television actor. may host some of these programs. The fire department here has obtained a mobile van loaned by the School of Education. Booker plans to use it to kick-off “Fire Prevention Week." The van will contain informa- tion for interested and concerned students and university emplo- yes. it will be parked in different areas of campus with a fireman there to answer questions. There is a possibility that a fire inspector from l.A.R.C. will be ‘present for student-to-student in- teraction. The department has already received six to eight requests from surrounding towns to use the van to educate gram- mar school children. Booker is extremely concerned with the hazards presented by some of the structures like the international House and those on Gilbert Road. it is important for the people that work in and use the structures for social gather- ings to become aware of the hazards involved. His main con- cern is that they are old and can burn quite easily. “it becomes dangerous then there are large gatherings. it gets Atruclrat the UConnI'1reDepart1nentstandareadytoansweran alarm. The tracks usually arrive at the location of a call within two or three minutes [Staff photo by Steve McGuff] overcrowded. People smoke, furniture can burn, and often there aren't enough ash-trays around. In most cases doors open 'in, not out. This is a hazard. If there is a fire people may pile in front of the door. it's hard to open it." “There is only one stairway for going up and down, unlike the newer structures where people can escape from different stairs. Often there are strangers, visi- tors. who are not familiar with the buildings and exit-ways," Booker said. “These buildings are in- spected quite frequently. ' ’ inspections are a big part of the department's job. Academic buildings are inspected every night. Some are inspected during the day because of the type of work that takes place there. For example. the Biobehavioral Sciences employes have reques- ted to be present during inspec- tions so they occur during the day when many of the researchers are around. . “High-hazard" buildings are inspected thoroughly once a month. These include the Chem- istry. Life Sciences. Pharmacy and Physics buildings. in dormitories, the Fire Depart- ment inspects public areas such as kitchens and lounges. The rooms are inspected by student inspectors. The typical fire hazards that are searched for include such flam- mable objects as gasoline con- tainers, waste-paper baskets made of paper or cheap plastic. or flimsy cloth pieces often used as drapes or to decorate walls. They also look for items that block entrances. and -make it difficult to escape from rooms. Last year, in North Campus, the fire people were unable to enter a room right away with a stretcher to get to a sick student because of a partition that was blocking the entrance. The partition was fi- nally knocked down but important time could have been lost. in another case. a motorcycle was found inside _a room obstruct- ting the way in and presenting a tremendous fire hazard for ob- _ _ vious reasons. Booker mentioned that the biggest cause of fires in dormi- Continued on Page 9 DELI " RESTAURANT East Brock Mall. A A 5 ‘ta .3 Thurs9 3!) ‘lunar’ "Cw ‘:9 ’)ll iv» NOW OPEN SUNDAYS Mansfield 6465 7*. ‘ w {H Si Em 1!! ml 9 O0 Continuous Entertainment From 8=0O p.m. THE FINEST DISCO SYSTEM AND LIGHT SHOW IN THE AREA. ROUTE|95 .- 875-9082 - TOLLAND -4. Y _3 »/ " ' - ._ 9 nupslq vhnjusnpn we use uuivu .‘Z. 4‘ ’ . ‘ .; 2-0 - L’ 'a.z.l"' -“ Ir? J -4 sou.‘-