UW-Madison students learned how to manage small fires with extinguishers for Campus Safety Day on Bascom Hill Wednesday.
The Offices of the Dean of Students and the Madison Fire Department cosponsored the event to urge students to become more conscious of their fire safety habits.
Yvonne Fangmeyer, a staff member of ODOS, said the office planned the event as an opportunity for students to learn more about fire prevention and safety.
UW Homecoming Committee representatives also joined the event, providing fire safety pamphlets.
Our Homecoming theme this year is Bucky to the rescue, so we made it into a 'make yourself super' day. [Students] will learn how to use a fire extinguisher and make [themselves] super,"" Homecoming Committee member Megan Halverson said.
The event provided free 9-volt batteries for smoke detectors and hands-on demonstrations on how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
Lori Wirth, Madison Fire Department community education officer, led the fire extinguisher demonstrations for students.
""People can feel how an extinguisher works and become aware of the limitations of a fire extinguisher,"" said Eric Dahl, another officer from the Madison Fire Department.
According to Dahl, many students are unaware of how to properly use a fire extinguisher. He expressed unease in how people often do not take the alarms seriously or react to them in a timely manner, whether they are simply alarms or an actual fire.
""Many times you may have lost those few minutes you have to get out by ignoring that alarm,"" Dahl said.
Wirth said she has seen devastating fires involving students and people in the Madison area.
""There is a sense of invulnerability among youth, they think, 'This can never happen to me,'"" she said.
Both Dahl and Wirth urge students to take the necessary precautions in keeping themselves safe in case of a fire emergency.
""Wherever [students] live, if there is not a posted evacuation plan people should think about that, make a map of their home and find two ways out of every room and then practice getting out,"" Dahl said.
For more information on fire safety students can visit www.safeu.wisc.edu/protect/fire.html.
