Colleges and universities graded on fire safety

The Princeton Review's ratings of colleges and universities on fire prevention and preparedness gives new meaning to the term "safe" school.  The rating measures how well prepared a school is to prevent or respond to campus fires, specifically in residence halls, according to the Princeton Review's 2009 edition of "The Complete Book of Colleges."

Schools are given a score between 60 and 99 based on the answers to eight questions developed in consultation with the Center for Campus Fire Safety. Questions concern the number of dorm rooms with sprinklers and smoke detectors as well as the number of malicious fire alarms reported at the school and whether it bans hazardous items or activities such as candles and smoking, among other queries. Schools that do not respond are given the lowest score of 60* (60 with an asterisk).

Schools that earned a top score of 99 this year are: Adelphi University, Bay Path College, Bentley College, California State University at Stanislaus, Cazenovia College, College of Mount St. Joseph, Kean University, Mountain State University, Neumann College, Suffolk University, The College of Saint Rose, and the University of Oklahoma.

According to the Center for Campus Fire Safety, 94 people have died in 66 separate campus related fires since 2000. Of these,

• 54 occurred in off-campus housing claiming 76 victims;
• 6 occurred in on-campus building or residence halls claiming 8 victims;
• 6 occurred in Greek housing claiming 10 victims.

The causes of the 66 fires:

• 14 were intentionally set, claiming 22 victims;
• 29 were accidental, including cooking, candles, smoking or electrical, claiming 38 victims;
• 23 were of undetermined cause or information on the cause was not available. Those fires claimed 34 victims.

One of the worst campus fires in recent memory occurred in January 2000 in a dormitory at New Jersey's Seton Hall University. Three students were killed in that blaze and 58 others were injured, some critically. Three years later two men were arrested and charged with setting the fire as a prank. As tragic as the fire was, it had at least one positive outcome when New Jersey enacted the country's first mandatory residence hall sprinkler law.

This fall high school seniors are touring campuses and getting their applications in order. Among all the scores to consider, parents would be wise to review the school's fire safety rating and to teach their student some fire safety tips as well.  Here is how the Princeton Review ranked five well-known schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Find more ratings at the Princeton Review.

• Cornell University—72
• Northwestern University—72
• University of California at Los Angeles—86
• United States Military Academy—86
• Stanford University—83