Campus and Fire Safety Highlighted Through Month of September
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 5, 2018) — The University of Kentucky Police Department (UKPD) and Fire Marshal’s Office are teaming up again to launch activities celebrating Campus Safety Awareness and Fire Safety Month throughout September. Events featuring a variety of UK programs focused on safety, disaster preparedness, and crime prevention will encourage students and employees to stay more informed and aware.
During the month of September, UKPD’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness is giving away one Campus Resident Go-Bag every Friday. To enter the giveaway, students must submit a “Safety Selfie” picture, utilizing the “Test Tip” function of UK LiveSafe. Safety Selfies must include a safety feature on campus, such as a fire extinguisher, blue emergency tower, an automated external defibrillator (AED), emergency shelter sign, or your favorite UK police officer.
UK LiveSafe is a free personal safety mobile app available to the university community that provides quick, easy and discreet ways to communicate directly with the UK Police Department about potential risks and threats. Students may enter as many “Safety Selfies” as they wish each week. Duplicate entries will not be accepted.
Contents of the Campus Resident Go-Bag include:
- a nylon backpack;
- first aid kit;
- emergency blanket;
- flashlight;
- glow sticks;
- whistle;
- notecards;
- Sharpie;
- pencils
- playing cards;
- hand-cranked weather radio; and
- additional UKPD giveaway items.
Two Campus and Fire Safety Fairs have been scheduled for this month:
- From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, on the front lawn of the Main Building.
- From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Woodland Glen/Hilltop Avenue.
Each event will feature a live fire demonstration, fire extinguisher training, T-shirt and other giveaways, opportunities to learn more about UK Alert, LiveSafe, STARR Women’s Self Defense Training, UKPD Citizen’s Police Academy, and hands-on practice in bleeding control techniques.
The live fire demonstration is the highlight of the Safety Fair each year.
“We literally build a room to the same specifications of a typical UK residence hall using the same building construction materials and furniture (donated by UK Housing). We introduce a small flame to the room and watch as the fire develops until it is free burning,” said Jason Ellis, UK’s assistant fire marshal. “It shows how quickly a dangerous situation can develop, stresses the importance of reacting immediately and evacuating a building if a smoke detector or fire alarm sounds.
"The room is completely involved in fire in about three minutes, but the smoke produced makes the room unsurvivable in about one minute. Average response time from Lexington Fire Department is approximately four to five minutes.”
The UK Fire Marshal’s Office conducts fire safety training, evacuation and fire drills, and offers free fire extinguisher training for the university community.
While campus safety remains the highest priority for the UK Police Department and Fire Marshal’s Office year-round, the month of September is used to emphasize safety to the greater UK community during the Campus and Fire Safety Fairs and the LiveSafe “Safety Selfie” student giveaway.
For more information, please contact Laurel Wood, with UKPD’s Division of Crisis Management at laurel.wood@uky.edu, or Jason Ellis, with the UK Fire Marshal's Office at jason.ellis@uky.edu.