Philadelphia buildings, including several Penn college houses, will be evacuated Thursday as part of the Citywide Home Fire Drill.
The drill will take place around 6:30 p.m. and will be conducted by the Philadelphia Fire Department.
In addition to the Philadelphia residences that are encouraged to participate in the drill, the initiative includes what the fire department is calling “Dump the Dorms” that includes Du Bois, Harrison, Harnwell and Gregory college houses.
According to Penn’s Chief of Fire and Emergency Services Eugene Janda, the purpose of the simulation evacuation is to ensure that students can safely and efficiently exit the buildings. The fire alarms in all of the college houses will also be tested.
The Division of Public Safety is kicking off this citywide day dedicated to fire safety awareness with a screening of the documentary “9 Fires” at 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Terrace Room of Claudia Cohen Hall.
The film features the aftermath of nine college fires that occurred between January and February of 2012. It was produced by founders of the Michael H. Minger Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages fire-safety awareness on college campuses. The film will be followed by a panel.
Other universities such as Drexel will show the film tonight. Gail Minger, the president of the foundation, requested for it to premiere at Penn because the University so strongly advocates fire safety to its students, according to DPS.
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