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Session provides staff with tips on emergency planning

Sometimes the best way to fight fire is with knowledge.

The UH Child Care Center’s staff under went a training session in May to prepare employees for dealing with fire and comply with mandatory fire inspection laws.

"The child care is a little bit more extensive, as far as the inspection goes," Tremont said.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, regulations stipulate that fire drills must be performed monthly and evacuation routes should be practiced at least twice yearly.

Tremont said that fire hazards such as electrical plugs, extension cords or any type of combustible object must be inspected.

An obstructive drill – which involves barricading the primary emergency evacuation route – was rehearsed as a way to inspire staff in finding creative ways of evacuating in the event of a fire.

"Twice a year, the fire marshal barricades primary exits, and (the staff has) to get creative, and sometimes they even barricade the secondary exits," Child Care Center Director Sherry Howard said.

UH Police Chief Malcolm Davis said that exercising precautions could avoid a scenario where someone gets hurt or killed.

"It’s real important… toward the entire campus community, which in our case, is more than just traditional college age students, faculty and staff," Davis said. "We don’t want any fires on campus, and we certainly don’t want anyone hurt."

Davis also said different precautions must be taken for programs with a younger audience, especially because UH offers a charter school and summer camp aside from the Child Care Center.

"For some of these programs, it is a non-typical college audience, because what we want a child to do is different than what we would want an adult to do," he said.

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