The Public Safety Department will host a special screening of the documentary “After the Fire: A True Story of Heroes and Cowards” on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center Flight Deck Backyard to raise awareness about fire safety on college campuses.
“After the Fire” recaps the story of the disastrous dormitory fire at Seton Hall in New Jersey on Jan. 20, 2000. The fire, started by two students as a drunken fraternity prank, killed three students and left dozens of others injured.
“The documentary is pretty much a recap of what our lives were like after the fire. It talks about what our families were going through, not knowing if we were going to live or die. It focuses on what our recovery was like in the burn unit,” said Simons. “It also looks at what it’s like to live as a burn survivor and go back into society, and be comfortable in our own skin.”
Assistant Director of Fire and Life Safety Edgar Ruiz said he hopes the event will elevate awareness on campus and help students better understand NSU’s policies regarding fire safety.
Though many precautions are taken at universities across the country, there will always be a risk of fires on a college campus. The National Fire Protection Association reports that between 2009 and 2013, there was an average of 3,870 structural fires reported per year in dormitories and fraternity and sorority housing.
“What we’re trying to do is bring fire safety to a new level at the University. When students hear the fire alarm go off, they assume that it’s either a false alarm or a fire drill. Most people don’t take it seriously. We want to show students that every alarm counts; if you hear an alarm you need to evacuate,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz said that properly educating students about fire safety will promote a higher level of overall safety on campus and possibly prevent injury.
He said, “We want to educate students on how to handle fire as well. If they see fire or smell smoke we want them to know who to report it to.”
Ruiz said he hopes to use this event during the Weeks of Welcome to kick-start a new fire safety program on campus. He hopes to have the Town of Davie Fire Department in attendance as an additional resource for students.
Ruiz said that he’d like to host this event during Orientation so that all new students know what to do if there is a fire on campus and host this event for parents so they are also aware of NSU’s fire protocol.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to incorporate this in the following year into additional training. We would like to have the parents go through this too. When [parents] come here we want them to see the film and listen to Shawn and Alvaro, as well. The parents should know that the university is very proactive with safety,” said Ruiz.
In addition to the documentary screening, fire survivors Simons and Llanos will be hosting a panel to share their story with students and answer questions regarding fire safety and protocol directly following the film screening.
The pair began hosting fire safety panels at universities around the country after a fire safety presentation at the University of Oregon in 2010.
Simons said, “We went out to Oregon not knowing what to expect, and when we got there to do the presentation there was an auditorium with 1,200 people to hear us speak. And after the presentation, 500 people waited in line for over an hour just to speak to us, shake our hands and tell us how impactful the presentation was.”
Simons hopes that these presentations will not only bring fire safety awareness to college communities, but also to inspire students to overcome whatever adversities they may face in life.
“Everyone goes through some sort of adversity in life, and we hope that students can look at what Alvaro and I went through and apply it to their own lives,” Simons said.
The screening is open to the community. For more information on NSU’s fire prevention plan and protocol, visit nova.edu/portal/ehs/forms/ehs_fire_prevention_plan.pdf.
PHOTO CREDIT: S. SIMONS
