Tennessee Tech Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator Brent Carter said the university does everything it can to be prepared for fires.
September is Campus Fire Safety Month. Carter said that he would like to see students treat minor events with as much care as they would major events.
“I think at times you know whether a fire drill goes off or a fire buzzer goes off, they don’t always take it seriously that it’s a fire. They may think that somebody left some popcorn in the microewavwe4 or they see a little bit of smoke or smell a little bit of smoke but they don’t take it seriously.”
According to data from the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office, between 2016 and 2020 there have 187 on-campus fire events across the state.
Carter said that the most devastating event they prepare for is a campus building fire. He said that luckily, they have only ever dealt with minor events.
“You know the biggest problem we have in the dorms is the popcorn in the microwave or somebody trying to wash too many loads in the washer and it’ll smoke a belt and that sort of thing. So we have some basic stuff, but we would just like them to take it a little more seriously.”
Carter said that the university works at drills, prepares evacuation routes, and partnerships with the city of Cookeville and Putnam County. He said that his goal is to always ensure that at the end of the day, students and faculty are able to get home safely.
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