URI, Kingston Fire District and R.I. Fire Marshal's Office to give away smoke detectors
to off-campus URI students
Donations from area businesses make program possible

KINGSTON, R.I. -- Jan. 18, 2001 -- The University of Rhode Island, Kingston Fire District and Rhode Island Fire Marshal's Office will team up on Wednesday, Jan. 24 to offer free smoke detectors to URI students who live down-the-line.

Following the spate of winter fires, local businesses donated smoke detectors to the Fire Marshal's office so that local fire departments could hold open houses and distribute smoke detectors to residents.

Because URI students were away on winter break when the Kingston Fire District held its open house earlier this month, Fire Chief Nate Barrington, Frank McGovern, director of URI's Department of Safety & Risk Management and the fire marshal, decided to hold the student event on the 24th.

McGovern said the focus is getting the free detectors in the hands of students who live in rental properties in Narragansett and South Kingstown. It's all part of a fire safety day on the Kingston Campus and at the Kingston Fire Station.

Detectors will be distributed to students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Memorial Union. At 4 p.m. at the Kingston Fire Station, fire district and University officials will dedicate a new aerial platform truck capable of reaching the highest buildings on campus. The truck will be on display outside the Union during the detector giveaway.

"This is a combination of what the fire marshal has been doing around the state, what the local department did in Kingston and what we are doing for our off-campus residents," McGovern said.

"Students who live down-the-line don't have the benefit of the continuing inspections we run in the residence halls," he added.

"The Department of Safety and Risk Management has a concern for all our URI students, not just the ones living on campus. This is a student-focused program."

For Information: Frank McGovern 874-2618, Dave Lavallee 874-2116