Thirteen years after a fire at the Phi Gamma Delta house killed five UNC students, fire safety legislation may become a law.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation last week co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., to recognize October as Campus Fire Safety Month. Price also helped to fund fire prevention efforts in student housing.
UNC students traveled to Washington, D.C., in September to lobby for the legislation.
“While I have always been concerned about student safety on college campuses, the tragic fires at UNC brought this issue home to me,” Price stated in an e-mail. “To their credit, students at UNC have been tireless advocates for this issue.”
About 40 UNC students traveled to Capitol Hill this year with parents of fire victims, University administrators and fire safety officials to lobby for stronger fire safety measures for student housing.
In September, the group from UNC was part of more than 90 meetings with members of Congress and staff.
Dylan Castellino, a Phi Gamma Delta member, said he helped organize the trip to Washington because he knows the destruction that a campus fire can bring.
“This is probably the one time I feel like I have had an impact on something on such a large scale,” Castellino said.
“It was a pretty surreal feeling going through each congressman, sitting with their staff, telling them how important this is and the difference that it could make.”
Jenny Levering, assistant dean of students for fraternity and sorority life, said the authenticity of the students’ requests for help is what made them successful.
“It touches close to home because we lost students here due to a fatal fire. You talk to people about fire safety and they have to listen,” she said.
The legislation would provide incentives for business owners to add fire sprinklers and other emergency systems to buildings and would grant money to universities for fire suppressant systems.
“Campus fire safety is an issue that goes beyond one state or one region of the country,” Price said. “It’s a national issue and Congress has, appropriately, been very responsive and proactive about it.”
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
Students advocate for ?re legislation
U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., co-sponsored a bill that aims to raise awareness for campus fire safety.
