Newsroom: Press Releases
Senate Approves Bipartisan Resolution Designating September as
Campus Fire Safety Month
Lautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224
Thursday, September 13,
2012
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As college students move into dorm rooms and campus apartments this month, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that the Senate has unanimously approved their bipartisan resolution to designate September 2012 as Campus Fire Safety Month.
“During National Campus Fire Safety Month, schools across the country hold events to raise awareness about how to prevent and respond to fires on campus,” said Senator Lautenberg. “Increasing fire safety awareness on our college and university campuses will help avoid tragedies like the deadly Seton Hall University fire. We need to take every step possible to keep our students safe so they can focus on their education.”
“At this time of year, millions of students are returning to college and university campuses across the country,” said Senator Collins. “Designating September as National Campus Fire Safety Month is a timely reminder of the danger that fire can pose and the life-saving importance of fire-prevention awareness and education.”
A copy of their resolution can be found here.
Senator Lautenberg and U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-8) have introduced the “Campus Fire Safety Education Act” to provide schools with the resources they need to educate students about preventing fires. The legislation would create a new competitive Campus Fire Safety Education Grant Program at colleges and universities and increase fire safety awareness among college students by helping to improve their fire safety training.
“As students are welcomed back to their campuses across the nation, it's important for them to recognize National Campus Fire Safety Month and its impact on ensuring a safe learning experience,” said Rep. Pascrell, a House Ways and Means Committee member who has championed campus fire safety since the tragic fire at Seton Hall University more than a decade ago. “We must do all that we can to keep our nation's students safe and informed. This is also why Senator Lautenberg and I introduced the Campus Fire Safety Education Act, to provide universities with grants they can use to develop or implement campus fire safety education strategies. We must do everything in our power to ensure the safety and security of our children when they leave for college.”
Following the tragic Seton Hall University fire of 2000 that killed three students, Senator Lautenberg and Rep. Pascrell introduced the “Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act,” which was later signed into law. The law requires colleges and universities to make public crucial fire safety records and provide detailed reports on the number of fires in each on-campus student housing facility. It also requires the Department of Education to identify and disseminate exemplary fire safety programs and practices.
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