In an effort to improve fire safety standards in off-campus townhouses, organizers for Run for Rigby distributed fire extinguishers last week to 270 homes of Georgetown students.
The extinguishers, which came with a sheet of instructions for proper household placement and an attached sticker with a list of fire safety tips, were purchased with the $22,000 raised by last year’s Run for Rigby and Rigby Ball, events planned in memory of Daniel Rigby, a former Georgetown student who died in a townhouse fire off campus in October 2004.
“I hope that students will see those stickers and remember Dan and remember that there are still students and administrators who remember Dan and who are working to improve fire safety,” said Ben Purcell (NHS ’05, GRD ’06), one of the organization’s founders, who was involved in the decision to purchase fire extinguishers.
Organizers hope that the fire extinguishers will help students accord with housing regulations in the District of Columbia. The regulations entail specific requirements for the number and placement of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, as well as quality standards for the building structure and electrical systems. Though many off-campuses residences have the Basic Business License that shows the building meets these standards, some do not.
“When we first moved into our apartment this year there were no smoke detectors, no fire extinguishers, no carbon monoxide detectors,” Kristin Shelden (COL ’07), who lives in a townhouse on O Street, past 36th Street, said. “These are old houses.”
D.C. fire officials determined that the fire in Rigby’s Prospect Street home could have been prevented if the house met fire standards. Basement windows were blocked by locked bars, fire doors were blocked and fire extinguishers were not charged.
Ray Danieli, assistant director of the Office of Off-Campus Student Life, said that he was pleased that organizers decided to spend the proceeds on a worthy cause.
“I think it’s very proactive and a positive thing for students to take a part of,” he said. “We’re trying to emphasize remembering Dan’s memory and the promotion of fire safety.”
Danieli said that, although the office has no direct authority over student’s landlords, it encourages students to request an inspection from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs if they feel that their residences are unsafe.
Jeng-Tyng Hong (SFS ’07), one of the students who received a fire extinguisher through the program, said that despite already having several extinguishers around her house, she supports the initiative.
“In all my time at Georgetown, I have not seen a more organized memorial to a friend,” she said.
Run for Rigby organizers are preparing for their next 5k race, which will occur April 22, 2007, and are still trying to distribute 60 remaining extinguishers.
