A resolution designating September 2018 as "Campus Fire Safety Month".

Whereas campus-related housing fires at colleges in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, D.C., and other States have tragically cut short the lives of several young people;

Whereas, since January 2000, at least 175 people, including students, parents, and children, have died in campus-related fires;

Whereas approximately 87 percent of those deaths occurred in off-campus residences;

Whereas a majority of college students in the United States live in an off-campus residence;

Whereas many fatal fires have occurred in a building in which the occupants had compromised or disabled the fire safety systems;

Whereas automatic fire alarm systems and smoke alarms provide the early warning of a fire that is necessary for occupants of a building and the fire department to take appropriate action;

Whereas automatic fire sprinkler systems are a highly effective method of controlling or extinguishing a fire in its early stages, thus protecting the lives of the building occupants;

Whereas many college students live in an off-campus residence, fraternity or sorority housing, or a residence hall that is not adequately protected by an automatic fire sprinkler system and an automatic fire alarm system or adequate smoke alarm;

Whereas fire safety education is an effective method of reducing the occurrence of fires and the resulting loss of life and property damage;

Whereas college students do not routinely receive effective fire safety education while in college;

Whereas educating young people in the United States about the importance of fire safety is vital to help ensure that young people engage in fire-safe behavior during college and after college; and

Whereas developing a generation of adults who practice fire safety may significantly reduce future loss of life from fires: Now, therefore, be it