SFA to host Fire Safety Day

Attendees at Stephen F. Austin State University's Fire Safety Day on Monday, Nov. 16, will learn how to fight fire with fire. The event will begin at 4 p.m. at the intramural fields near the corner of Starr Avenue and Wilson Drive.

In addition to learning how to use a fire extinguisher on small trashcan fires, an interactive video game will be available that lets participants extinguish a fire on a television screen with a remote control. "It is similar to a Wii," said Jeremy Higgins, SFA director of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management.

The highlight of the event will be the burning of a mock residence hall room at 5 p.m. "People will be impressed at how quickly a dorm room can go from a spark of a cigarette to fully engulfed in flames," Higgins said.

He also said that this will be a good experience for students to witness the real danger of fires. "There is no such thing as a false alarm. They are all real."

Although the event is mainly for SFA students, the public is welcome to attend.

"Sometimes there is a lackadaisical attitude with the students when a fire alarm goes off," Higgins said. "But this is such a cool event that the public and faculty and staff are welcome as well."

The Nacogdoches Fire Department will answer questions and give tours of the vehicles. An appearance by Smokey the Bear is also a possibility.