Most college students will be back in the classroom next week, and many have been moving into their dorm rooms over the last few days. Even before that, the Resident Assistants who'll be watching over students in Eastern Michigan University's dorms were on campus, getting ready. Part of the preparation involved fire safety training, and the Ypsilanti Fire Department was on campus Thursday to help with that.
"By the time you look in there and run down the hall, get the extinguisher and come back, now might be the walls are on fire."
Fire Captain Dan Cain put the RAs through their paces, showing them the proper way to put out a small fire using a fire extinguisher. The students were also taken into Jones Hall to practice evacuating a smoke-filled hallway.
The training is very realistic by design.
"To sort of simulate, you know, what a situation could look like if it happened in one of our residence halls."
That's Nicholas Rachowicz, EMU's interim director of Housing and Residence Life, who says it's good for RAs to know how to respond to emergencies.
Most EMU students are moving onto campus Friday and will return to class for the fall on Wednesday.