On Thursday, August 23, Champaign’s Fire Factor and the University of Illinois New Student Programs partnered to offer over 4,500 incoming students a Safety Festival, their first night on campus.
Champaign Fire Department, Neighborhood Services Department, and METCAD partnered with other agencies and organizations to share their expertise on the Quad at Ikenberry Commons, along 301 E. Gregory. Champaign Fire Department provided music, an opportunity to learn to use a fire extinguisher at a live fire simulator, and Surviving Your Next Night Out, an informative session on public assembly safety. Firefighters stressed the importance of sprinkler systems with a live fire sprinkler demonstration provided in conjunction with the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board. Students learned from METCAD 9-1-1 Dispatchers about translation services offered.
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District was also on hand to let students be the “driver” and see first-hand the many blind spots a driver experiences behind the wheel of a parked bus.
