NEWSFIRE EXPERTS: EQUIP DORMS WITH FIRE-RESISTANT PAINT

NEWSFIRE EXPERTS: EQUIP DORMS WITH FIRE-RESISTANT PAINT

Although traditional dormitory rooms would burn to rubble within minutes if a fire were to break out, fire-resistant paint could save collegestudents’ lives and slow the spread of flames, fire experts told a legislative committee today. Officials from universities across the state urged the Committee on Public Safety to support a bill (S 1412) which would require all student housing, nursing homes and assisted living facilities to coat their walls with “in-tumescent, refractory paint.”“[Students] often engage in very risk behavior,” said Peter Rizzi, Northeastern University’s fire safety officer. “This technology will give us the potential to respond to any emergency.” In testimony, fire officials cited statistics indicating fires in campus residences have spiked since 1980, as many as a third of all fires a result of arson. In addition, many students remain indoors, refusing to heed fire alarms, a phenomenon called “alarm apathy.” “Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, this will be what we do with dormitories,” said Sen. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), a member of the committee. The committee did not discuss the cost of the product, but some companies list fire-resistant paint between $70 and $90 per gallon. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell), chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

FROM MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE NEWS