News

On September 17, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) joined college students, members of Congress, parents who have lost children in campus-related fires, and representatives of Campus Firewatch and other national fire service organizations to kickoff Campus Fire Safety Month with a day on Capitol Hill. More than 60 people participated in the event, which included a press conference featuring Congressmen Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Joe Wilson (R-SC), DC Fire Chief Denis Rubin, and Edye Smith, whose son Stephen died in a fire at Miami University in Ohio in 2005, a picture on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and meetings with 41 Congressional offices.

 

NVFC Director of Government Relations Dave Finger led a contingent of students from the University of North Carolina in a series of meetings with House and Senate offices to advocate on behalf of the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (H.R. 1194) and the Hon. Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act (H.R. 2136). This is the second year that Campus Firewatch has held a Hill Day for Campus Fire Safety Month, both of which the NVFC has participated in.

 

“I’d like to thank Ed Comeau at Campus Firewatch for organizing this event and inviting me to participate on behalf of the NVFC,” said Finger. “The college students that participated were extremely bright and committed to raising awareness about the importance of improving fire safety on college campuses. I hope they enjoyed the experience as much as I did.”

 

More information about the Campus Fire Safety Month Hill Day can be viewed at www.campus-firewatch.com/.