Burnin’ down the house

Students, faculty and staff participated in the Great EscapeWednesday, an annual event that takes place in Letterman Hall toeducate members of the SMU community on fire safety.

Approximately 150 students came to the event, which started at 5p.m., within the first two hours. Students were split into groupsof 30 and led through the simulated burning building.

The event, which lasts about 15-20 minutes, is open to anyone atSMU, but primarily SMU residents attend. The point of the event isfor students to become educated on how to safely exit a burningbuilding without endangering their lives.

First-year students who attended the event were pleased withtheir experiences, but did not anticipate the heated session to beso intense.

“I was surprised,” said Ada Esedebe, a first-yearstudent and Perkins Hall resident. “I panicked and Iwasn’t expecting it to be that dark and realistic.”

First-year student Shazznic Beck said, “It was scary. Iwas running into people, and there was a lot of chaos.”

Some students enjoyed the event and wanted to go through ittwice.

“I died three times. I need to do it again,” saidTheo Griffin, a first-year student and Smith Hall resident.

The event is not just for students in the residence hallsUniversity Park paramedic Earl Starnes said. It is for those whowork in office buildings, hotels or high-rises, Starnes said.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t payattention [when they enter a building].

Starnes said that anyone who enters a building should alwaysglance at the emergency exit maps, always have a plan and know twoways out.

“Few of us have been this close to fires. Students shoulddefinitely go,” Esedebe said.

The Great Escape is an event sponsored by Residence Life andStudent Housing, the Office of Risk Management and the UniversityPark Fire Department.

The event takes place in Letterman Hall, which currently housestemporary offices from different departments throughout theyear.