Georgia Southern teaches fire safety with heated demonstration

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTGS) — September is Fire Campus Safety month, and Georgia Southern University is teaching students the importance of fire safety and preparedness.

At the university’s “Up in Flames” event on Wednesday, firefighters set three mock dorms on fire to demonstrate how quickly a fire can develop and spread.

The event took place at the Armstrong Campus Recreation Center parking lot.

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Campus and local firefighters were also there to share safety information.

Chris Colson, the fire and life safety director at GSU, said that this event is for educating students and teaching them what resources are available to them at their school.

“A lot of people see fire on TV [and] movies, but you don’t get the true sense of it," said Colson. "So being here, in front of this, they get to see the fire, feel the heat. It hits home. It lets them see the true impact that fire has, how fast it grows, and how fast it can spread.”

This event will also take place Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at GSU's Statesboro campus, where three more mock dorms will be set on fire. The event is being held at the Nessmith-Lane/Performing Arts Center commuter parking lot.