Fire Safety Violations Found Widespread In Greek Houses

The Racquette., February 26, 1976

from the Watertown Times

Recently, fire safety violations in local fraternities were' revealed. These violations include a lack of a fire escape from the third floor to the second floor at one fraternity, fire extinguishers which have not been checked in a required time period for potency, stairways in three story buildings which are not equipped with fire retardant partitions and self-closing doors.

Reports of the violations were mailed to each of the houses with violations last week. They have been given until May 31st to correct the violations. Each house is to be reinspected after that time. The fraternities and violations follow:

Zeta Nu, 27 Main St.,: afire excape for the third floor is missing. Students must jump about six feet from a third story window to purt of the second floor roof where there is a fire escape. A fire retardant partition and self closing door are needed on the stairway from the second to third floor. A lighted fire exit sign is also needed or the second floor.

Alpha Epsilon Pi, 29 Elm St.,: A fire extinguisher near the furnance needs checking. The cellar to first floor stairway needs fire rated partitions with a self closing door.

Theta Chi, 18 Elm St.,: fur- nance needs enclosure of fire rated partitions with self enclosing door. A lighted fire exit sign is needed on the second floor.

Delta Epsilon, 30 Elm St.,: furnance needs enclosure of fire rated partitions with self enclo- sing door. A lighted fire exit sign is needed on the second floor.

Delta Epsilon, 30 Elm St.,: furnance enclosure needed, lighted exit sign needed on second floor, cellar and second floor stairways need fire rated partitions with self-enclosing doors.

0 Pi 0, 14 Leroy St.,: light- ed fire exit signs needed on second floor, cellar and second floor stairways need fire rated partitions with self closing doors.

Alpha Chi Rho, 77 Elm St.,: Fire extinguishers throughout the house should have been checked then mounted on walls in a permanent location.

Tau Kappa Epsilon, 74 Elm . St., fire extinguishers needed near the heating system. Switches in the game room were also hanging loose and uncovered.

Tau Epsilon Pi, outer Sisson Street: a fire extinguisher is needed near the furnace; exit signs are needed on the second and third floors.

Delta Sigma Phi, 20 Pleasant St.,: lighted exit signs needed for second and third floor fire exits. Fire rated self enclosed doors needed on second to third floor stairway.

Finally, it was revealed that the cause of the pre-Christmas fire at Alpha Chi Rho was the result of a faulty furnace.

Theta Xi, 88 Market St.,: Fire extinguishers needed near the heating system.

Tau Delta Kappa, 29 Bay St.,: fire retardant partitions and a self closing door needed on the second to third floor stairway.

Sigma Delta, 6 Prospect St.,: fire extinguishers throughout the house need checking and need to be mounted in a permanent wall location.

Beta Tau, 42 Bay St.,: electrical receptable box for dryer now hanging loose should be secured to the wall.

References

https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/np00010012/1976-02-26/ed-1/seq-3/

https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/np00010012/1976-02-26/ed-1/seq-18/