GuardianSSI Observes National Campus Fire Safety Month
The University of Kentucky #FireMarshal‘s Office kicks off September’s Campus Safety Month with a dramatic demonstration of how quickly a fire can start in a college dorm room. https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/uk-celebrates-national-campus-fire-safety-month-blazing-demonstration.
We are observing this important month as well. Read more.
Dallas – September 1, 2017 – Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI), the nation’s largest provider of range top fire suppression systems, will observe national Campus Fire Safety Month throughout September. The observance was launched in 2005 by the Center for Campus Fire Safety to unite nationwide fire and university officials to improve fire and life safety on campus. In addition to loss of life and injuries from cooking fires, campus cooking fires cause more than $9.4 million in damages each year.
“Most of the parental fears when sending kids off to college concern safety. But, I suspect that many parents rank fear of kitchen fires well below those of drugs, alcohol, crime and other campus issues,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. “They shouldn’t. In fact, dear parents, college fires should move up to the top of your list of concerns since 83 percent of college campus fires are cooking related.”
Besides rigorous college courses, there are many demands on young adults’ attention in today’s busy world – texting, emails, friends visiting, the hectic start of college life and possibly alcohol and drug consumption. It’s pretty easy for college kids to start to cook a meal and forget about it. Next thing you know, a fire spreads from a stove or hot plate to curtains and other highly-flammable material in a dorm room or apartment. Putting the fire out quickly is imperative to minimize injury to students and damage to the building and belongings.
Ranges or cooktops accounted for the majority cooking fire incidents. “Prevention is the core of our ‘Guardian Solution’ range top suppression system. That’s why we observe fire prevention all year, not just this month,” said Rouse. “The time to protect college students against a range top fires is before they strike. Once campuses install the Guardian, parents can rest at ease.” He added that off-campus apartment s and student housing kitchens can be retrofitted as well. With the system, a fire can be extinguished in as little as seven seconds (video).
Most college fires are due to lack of knowledge about fire safety and prevention. So what can parents do to help minimize risks? Here’s some basic advice to discuss with college students and the college administration.
- Make sure there are smoke detectors installed and that the batteries are fresh.
- Teach your kid how to use a fire extinguisher. Before they leave for school, practice using one with your child and make sure there is at least one available in the cooking area at the dorm.
- Discuss escape routes when you deliver your college student to the dorm.
- Emphasize that leaving a building when a fire alarm goes off is imperative. It could save your child’s life. Emphasize that no property or memento is worth dying for.
- Learn to properly use and maintain stoves and cooking appliances.
It’s also a good idea to talk to the head of the cafeteria on campus and dorm manager about fire safety. Make sure that they:
- Install smoke alarms in every room and test weekly.
- Inspect rooms and buildings for fire hazards regularly.
- Make sure exit doors and windows are working properly.
- Conduct fire drills and practice escape routes.
- Get to know on-campus public safety personnel
An inexpensive way to prevent tragedies from cooking is to have the college install an automatic range top suppression system over each stove in dorm room cooking areas. They are designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and at the same time prevent re-ignition. Installed sprinkler systems can also prevent deaths and injuries, as well as reduce millions of dollars in property damage. College life is meant to be a wonderful beginning not a tragic end. Take these steps to protect precious children to ensure a safe and fun college experience.
For more information, visit www.guardianssi.com. Like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GuardianSSI and on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
About GSSI
Protecting families worldwide since 1985, Guardian Safety Solutions International Inc. is the recognized leader in the development and manufacturing of residential range top fire protection systems. GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property.
Press contact only:
Susan M. Tellem, APR, RN, BSN, Tellem Grody PR, Inc. 310-313-3444 x1; susan@tellemgrodypr.com
Protect Yourself Against Deadly Hotel and Motel Stays
Every year there are almost 4,000 hotel and motel fires reported to U.S. fire departments, resulting in $76 million in property loss, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Almost 50 percent of these fires are started by cooking. Since I started in the fire prevention business years ago, many positive changes have been made to make hotel and motel kitchens safer, but fires still do happen.
Here are five tips travelers can take to protect themselves:
- Make sure that you confirm that the hotel or motel is equipped with automatic sprinklers and fire alarms before you travel – this is especially important for trips outside the country as the strict U.S. standards may not apply.
- Pack a small flashlight.
- Review the evacuation map posted on the floor where you are staying.
- If there is a fire, always use a stairwell and not an elevator.
- If there is a fire, feel the door of your room. If it is hot, keep it closed and seal it with wet towels. Call 911 and let the operator know which room in the hotel you are staying, and signal from your window. Break it if you have to.
Hotels and motels can protect travelers by installing our Guardian Solution, a system designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and at the same time prevent re-ignition. Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, a signal is sent to release the extinguishing agent to suppress the fire and to shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting (see video). It should be installed in any new construction and can be retrofitted as well. It is imperative to minimize damage and injury to travelers and employees alike.
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Paul Rouse is the administrative officer with Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. and fire suppression educator and expert In Dallas, TX. Visit www.GuardianSSI.com, on Fabebook and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
Cooking Fire Forces Dozens from Apartments
A cooking fire forced dozens of people from the Willows of Springdale apartment complex after resident Kristen Shephard said she was cooking and then fell asleep. Cooking fires often happen when a person starts to cook, walks away from the stove to watch TV, take care of a child or drink too much alcohol and then falls asleep.
The U.S has about 166,000 cooking fires per year. According to the United States Fire Administration, your risk of death from fire increases significantly as you get older. As many as 1,100 Americans ages 65 and older die each year as the result of a home fire.
This fire in Cincinnati demonstrates the risks not just to the person cooking but to apartment dwellers close by as well. The message is, when you cook, stay by the stove. Read more here.
Winston-Salem Fire Department Urges Cooking Safety
Winston-Salem North Carolina Fire Department reports that there were 22 kitchen cooking fires already this year. In 2016, there were 70 kitchen fires, up from 57 the year before. The Department has been installing 500 stove top fire suppression devices in high fire areas.According to the Winston-Salem Journal, “Half of home fires start in the kitchen,” said Sabrina Stowe, the department’s senior community educator. “These are totally preventable.”See the Fire Department cooking fire video here. Please learn more about preventing kitchen fires at www.guardianssi.com.
Emergency Preparedness Training Options for Houses of Worship
Date: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT
Click link to register http://bit.ly/29o8j2J
FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) invites you to a webinar on Tuesday, July 19, featuring ways houses of worship and emergency managers can use training programs like Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to increase community preparedness. The webinar also highlights how these partnerships improve engagements with diverse communities and populations.
Guardian’s products are designed to detect and extinguish fires and prevent re-ignition in houses of worship. The new Guardian G600 is the only current listed system designed to work with an over the stove microwave. Benefits of Guardian systems include automatic operation, continuous 24-hour protection, concealed installation, easy clean-up and proven reliability. For end users, Guardian Fire Suppression Systems offer substantial savings over a traditional commercial system.
Guardian Fire Suppression Systems have been used and supported in more than 400,000 installations worldwide and have been UL listed since 1985. For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com. “Like” Guardian on Facebook at GuardianSSI and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
Building Safety Month Brings Awareness to Code Enforcement and Safety
Building Safety Month Brings Awareness to Code Enforcement and Safety
GuardianSSI Asks Code Officials to Increase Fire Prevention in Commercial Occupancies
Dallas – In the midst of Building Safety Month, launched by the International Code Council (ICC) and its 57,000 members worldwide, Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI) is raising awareness in the industry by observing the mission of ICC’s public awareness campaign. GSSI is the leader in the development and manufacturing of superior fire suppression equipment for commercial occupancies where residential appliances are in use. The ICC, along with a diverse partnership of professionals from the building construction, design and safety community launched Building Safety Month 35 years ago.
“Cooking fires are the number one cause of injury and death associated with fires,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. He added, “GuardianSSI champions the adoption of modern building codes, implementing a strong and efficient system of code enforcement and a professional workforce that works with code officials to increase fire prevention and safety.” Guardian products are designed to detect and extinguish fires and prevent re-ignition in senior housing facilities, college campuses, churches, fire stations, hospitals and other commercial occupancies. “The Guardian fire suppression systems are increasingly accepted nationwide as code officials are educated to the hazard protection advantages the GSSI systems provide,” Rouse said. “We offer ongoing training to code officials when they sign up on our website,” Rouse added.
GuardianSSI recently launched the Guardian Model G600B to include electronic operation with electric and gas ranges (watch the video demo). It works with any standard over-the-stove microwave/range hood. Each system is UL/ULC listed with a gas or electric fuel shutoff. The G600B has an updated, integrated self-diagnostic CPU board with a monitored pressure gauge. It features a pull-pin holder for arming the system, an alarm connection for a trouble and activation signal, quick and easy plug connectors and an RF transmitter and receiver for wireless shutoff connections. Benefits of Guardian systems include automatic operation, continuous 24-hour protection, concealed installation, easy clean-up and proven reliability. For end users, Guardian Fire Suppression Systems offer substantial savings over a traditional commercial system.
Guardian Fire Suppression Systems have been used and supported in more than 400,000 installations worldwide and have been UL listed since 1985. For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com. “Like” Guardian on Facebook at GuardianSSI and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
Media Contact:
Susan Tellem, Tellem Grody PR, 310.313.3444 x1, Susan@tellemgrodypr.com
GuardianSSI Exhibiting at NAFED Conference & Expo March 3 – 4 in Las Vegas
Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI), the leader in the development and manufacturing of superior fire suppression equipment for commercial occupancies where residential appliances are in use, is exhibiting at the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (NAFED). The Sectional Conference & Expo, is March 3 – 4, at the Monte Carlo Casino & Resort, Las Vegas. NAFED’s guiding mission is gathering and disseminating information and ideas that will improve the world’s fire protection and increase the fire protection industry’s competence.
“NAFED is a key player in the fire protection industry showcasing the latest technological advances. That’s why we are launching our new Guardian G600B, the only current listed system designed to
work with an over the stove microwave,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. “Our Guardian products are designed to detect and extinguish fires and prevent re-ignition in senior housing facilities, college campuses, churches, fire stations, hospitals and other commercial occupancies,” Rouse said.
“The Guardian fire suppression systems are increasingly accepted nationwide as authorities are educated to the hazard protection advantages the GSSI systems provide,” Rouse added. “The support we give our distributors is unrivaled from excellent tech support, a website with online training and the addition of new innovative products.”
Benefits of Guardian systems include automatic operation, continuous 24-hour protection, concealed installation, easy clean-up and proven reliability. For end users, Guardian Fire Suppression Systems offer substantial savings over a traditional commercial system.
Guardian Fire Suppression Systems have been used and supported in more than 400,000 installations worldwide and have been UL listed since 1985. For more information, contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com. “Like” Guardian on Facebook at GuardianSSI and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
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Media Contact:
Susan Tellem
Tellem Grody PR
310.313.3444 x1
Susan@tellemgrodypr.com
GuardianSSI Exhibiting at Pennsylvania Association of Fire Equipment Distributors
Guardian Safety Solutions International, Inc. (GSSI), the leader in the development and manufacturing of range top fire protection systems, is exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (PAFED) Annual Conference, October 14 – 15, at the Crowne Plaza Reading, 1741 Paper Mill Road, Reading PA. PAFED’s shares information about the fire equipment industry with state and local government, various government agencies, insurance organizations and the public.
“We are looking forward to demonstrating our ‘Guardian Solution’ range top suppression system at PAFED,” said Paul Rouse, GSSI’s administrative officer. “This is extremely important as there are 34,000 kitchen fires each day in the U.S. causing more than $7 billion in damage every year.” He added that more than 12 million unintentional home cooking fires go unreported causing 640,000 injuries annually.
GSSI manufactures the Guardian III Model G300B, UL and ULC listed with a fuel shut-off. “The Guardian is designed to detect and extinguish cooking fires and prevent re-ignition in private homes, apartments, senior housing, college campuses, hospitals and other facilities. Even older kitchens can be retrofitted,” Rouse said. (See how the Guardian works here). Once it detects heat at a pre-determined temperature, the Guardian sends a signal to release an extinguishing agent that suppresses the fire. Guardian will also shut off the gas or electric supply to the stove in order to prevent reigniting. The design of the system offers:
• automatic operation
• continuous 24-hour protection
• concealed installation
• easy clean-up
• proven reliability
Protecting families worldwide since 1985, GSSI’s mission is to develop and distribute quality safety products that provide customers with peace of mind, while protecting lives and property. Contact GSSI at 800-786-2178 or visit www.guardianssi.com, “Like” on Facebook and follow on Twitter @GuardianSSI.
Media Contact: Susan Tellem, APR, RN, BSN
Tellem Grody PR, Inc.
310.313.3444 x1
Susan@tellemgrodypr.com
