The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag (Fire) Warning for Long Island, N.Y. to which Stony Brook University’s Campus Safety responded by sending an email on Saturday, Nov. 16 to notify students of the warning and advise them on how to reduce fire risks.
The email was sent by Gary Kaczmarczyk, the associate vice president for environmental health and safety and chief safety officer, who explained what the warning means.
“A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels. Any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain,” Kaczmarczyk wrote.
The measures needed to minimize the risk of wildfires were also shared in the email. These actions included not smoking on campus, discarding lit materials on the ground, prohibiting outdoor cooking and not parking on the grass/off road.
In an email to The Statesman, John Gallo, the director of fire safety and fire chief, shared the emergency resources and precautions already in place across campus.
He mentioned Stony Brook’s Fire and Emergency Services team, which provides 24/7 emergency responses to all fires, hazardous materials and technical rescues for the Main, East and Southampton campuses.
Gallo explained that each building in Stony Brook has a fire alarm system and told of the three sirens used in case of an emergency: temporal signal, sirens and mechanical bells.
“During the drought it’s imperative to keep campus grounds clear and for the public to refrain from fire-related activities (smoking, campfires, etc.). And, our campus grounds department routinely clears leaves from around buildings and parking lots,” Gallo wrote.
He said in the email that people should work together to refrain from participating in activities that could pose a risk. Gallo also listed resources for students such as reviewing fire safety and prevention literature.
Jaymie Meliker, a professor in the Program of Public Health at Stony Brook Medicine, explained a big concern in the case of a wildfire is being exposed to particulate matter, which is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air.
Meliker said many people worry about contaminants they are exposed to that they can see. However, the most dangerous ones are the ones people can’t easily see.
“Those particulates can get deep into our lungs and can do things that impact our breathing and have been shown to be linked to many diseases, including cardiovascular disease … not from short term exposure in terms of cardiovascular but if you’re looking at an acute exposure episode, you might have trouble breathing,” Meliker said.
If a wildfire does start, Meliker advised people to wear an N-95 mask and emphasized that it’s more important to take preemptive measures to avoid a fire and stay out of risky environments.
On Thursday, Nov. 21, it substantially rained. David Black, an associate professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, said the rain was necessary but still not enough.
“Fortunately, last night’s rain eases that hazard at least a little bit, maybe for a day or two. But with the long term drought conditions, we appreciate very little rain,” Black said.
He said a lack of rain creates conditions that are conducive for bush fires. Black explained that due to the dried out vegetation, it can lead to small hazards causing wildfires.
“All the vegetation is dried out, and there’s very little moisture in the topsoil anymore as a result of that, incidental things like smokers tossing their cigarette butt carelessly [can start a fire]. … But even something that’s a skateboard or grinding on a rail could accidentally start a fire,” Black said.
