WILL YOU SURVIVE YOUR NEXT NIGHT OUT?
by Dave Tomlinson, Engineer | Champaign Fire Department

That is the question asked of the 42,000 students of the University of Illinois. And the answer is… Yes!

With the right frame of mind and a bit of education, college students across the nation can beat the odds
when they go out for the night. The majority of death and serious injuries to college age adults can be tied to alcohol and drug impairment.

“Surviving Your Next Night Out” is an interactive lesson provided to hundreds of students at the University of Illinois as part of Fire Factor and Campus Alcohol Awareness Programs. This fast paced lesson shows students what can happen when they go to an overcrowded social gathering whether it is held at a bar, a dorm, a campus apartment, or a fraternity/sorority. It teaches how to get out, impairments to exiting safely, potential problems when the occupancy is overcrowded and how to recognize when the place is overcrowded. A funfilled
exercise during the presentation brings home the dangers of overcrowding and alcohol in an eye opening manner.

This educational session will show you how to teach your own students to be safe as they spend time in various places. You will be able to see, up close, how effective this learning experience is for students, staff and community members.

Dave Tomlinson is a career firefighter with the Champaign Fire Department and a member of CFD’s Occupancy Inspections Team. After seeing too many of our young adults put themselves in danger on a regular basis at one of the highest-rated public universities in America, he developed “Surviving Your Next Night Out” for the Fire Factor Campus Fire Safety Program. As a parent of two college-age young adults, Dave brings the perspective of a parent and a firefighter.

Contact the CCFS Support Team for your Campus Fire Forum 2011 logon information.