(Original publication: February 27, 2004)

There are three important facets to the safety issues rising from the smoke of a Feb. 12 fire in a Purchase College, SUNY, dormitory: the need for sprinklers in student housing regardless of a building's age; addresssing the long-standing danger of furniture that easily catches fire; and educating students and college personnel about fire safety.

The issues affect all residential facilities that house students, campers and others, not just Purchase College, which saw 260 students displaced in the suspicious fire but, fortunately, only minor injuries. As John A. Viniello of Patterson, president of the National Fire Sprinkler Association Inc., said in a letter to the editor last week, that was thanks to the quick work of the Purchase, Port Chester and West Harrison fire departments.

Even though the Farside dormitory at Purchase was "up to code,'' it did not have sprinklers ready to go off in a fire on any floor but the basement. Built in 1972, the dorm is not required to have the latest technology in fire prevention. The fact that such safety steps have been avoided through "grandfathering'' is senseless.

The building did have fire- and smoke-detection alarm systems, one of a series of recommendations by a state task force after a 2000 fire at Seton Hall University, N.J., killed three people. But unless buildings are undergoing major renovations, or new ones are going up, water-spraying devices are not installed in most colleges.

The chief of the New York State University Police told The Journal News that college officials were planning to ask the state for estimates on installing sprinklers in all dorms, but they did not know when or how much money they would get for the project.

Viniello suggested that the retrofitting costs could be passed on as a small surcharge on room and board fees. We believe this is a state, college and insurer responsibility. According to the National Fire Protection Association, on average, direct property damage per fire is 41 percent lower in dormitory fires where sprinklers are present. Doesn't it make sense to invest in sprinklers? To save property — and lives?

Meanwhile, police and others are conducting an arson investigation into the Farside fire. Westchester Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Campus speculation is that someone deliberately set a couch on fire, which leads to Issue No. 2: new fire standards for foam furniture.

For years, the State Association of Fire Chiefs has been advocating that New York adopt far higher furniture standards that include requiring that cover fabric resists an open flame for one second; and that polyurethane foam, present in about 90 percent of upholstered furniture, be treated with fire-retardant chemicals.

Firefighters call the foam "liquid gasoline." The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to drag its feet on addressing the danger, known for an incredible three decades.

Finally, as The Journal News reported, false alarms on campuses are quite common. There always is the danger that even the most safety-conscious residents will ignore them. According to Purchase Fire Chief Joseph Brefere, some of the Farside students resisted evacuation the night of the fire by hiding in their rooms and had to be removed by force. Another third-floor student was sleeping when found by firefighters.

Clearly, campuses must step up fire-prevention efforts, including awareness and education for every single student. That has to include more vigilance from students and staff in reporting pranks and mischief, and strict enforcement of penalties for offenders.

But there also must be greater attention devoted to spotting and reporting troubled students who threaten fire-setting or other risky behavior.

According to Ed Comeau, director of the Center for Campus Fire Safety in Massachusetts, about one-third of campus fires across the country are caused by arson. That's chilling.

He also told staff writer David Novich that many students light fires to try to get attention or cause mischief, without the intention of causing physical harm. Regardless of intent, that's a sign of sickness. Ignoring it is foolhardy.