Administration

Communications

Residential Life staff learn life saving skills
Friday, August 13, 2010

CANTON, Mo. – In less than 5 minutes flames engulfed a mock dorm room set up on the campus of Culver-Stockton College. The controlled burn was part of a fire safety training session designed to help teach C-SC Residential Life staff members just how quickly a fire can spread.

“It’s scary,” said Kurt McKay, a C-SC sophomore from Florissant, Mo., “I never expected the room to ignite that fast, it really makes you focus on fire safety.”

The Canton Fire Department collaborates with C-SC Campus Safety for the fire safety training; their goal is to teach Residential Life staff members, who work in the college’s residence halls and Greek houses, proper fire evacuation, prevention and response techniques.

“I’m training them to know how to respond to a fire so that they can teach other students,” said Mike Bringer, C-SC director of campus safety.

The mock dorm room fire was just one of the scenarios demonstrated during the training session held Friday, Aug. 13. Students crawled through a smoke filled room to learn what it would be like if they had to escape from a burning building. They were also given the opportunity to climb the ladder of a fire truck, and learned the proper way to use a fire extinguisher; a skill Drew Thompson, a senior bio-chemistry/pre-med major from San Antonio, Texas, says could potentially save lives. “Fires grow exponentially, it sounds cliché but every minute counts and being able to knock down a small fire will save their life,” said Thompson, who is also a volunteer firefighter with the Canton Fire Department.

This is the second year C-SC Campus Safety and Canton Fire and Rescue have hosted the fire training session. Students will begin returning to the Culver-Stockton campus Wednesday, Aug. 18; classes begin Monday, Aug. 23.

Photos:
1) C-SC students watch as a mock dorm room burns during a fire safety training session on the college campus.
2) Jose Garcia, sophomore history major from Los Fresnos, Texas, learns how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
3) Jeff McReynolds, Canton fire chief and C-SC director of alumni programs, teaches Kalyn Hull, junior nursing major from Quincy, how to use a fire extinguisher.
4) Jeff McReynolds, Canton fire chief and C-SC director of alumni programs, teaches Joe Stubbs, area coordinator for fraternity life, how to use a fire extinguisher.