The fire that destroyed Ole Miss’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house last semester, killing three students, rose the question of who is responsible for enforcing fire safety regulations for fraternity and sorority houses in Mississippi. That question may be answered soon, as a new bill proposing that the State Fire Marshal’s office should have the sole authority to inspect and set fire safety guidelines for fraternity and sorority houses is waiting to be passed.
The bill has passed the Mississippi House of Representatives and is now awaiting approval by the state Senate. If passed, the bill will require all fraternity and sorority houses on state-owned property to meet the fire marshal’s minimum requirements, including having a sufficient smoke detector and fire alarm system as well as a sprinkler system.
State Fire Marshal Millard Mackey said the bill was filed in January and is a response to the Ole Miss incident.
“Clearing up the gray area was a major concern after the tragic fire at Ole Miss,” Mackey said. “The question raised was ‘Who has jurisdiction on private state-owned property?'” The gray matter Mackey was referring to is whether the state fire marshal or local authorities were responsible for setting fire guidelines and inspecting the houses.
“The bill requires all inspections of fraternity houses and sorority houses to be inspected by state agencies rather than local ones,” said Marty Wiseman, professor and director of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government. “I think it’s a good thing because the state can do it in a detached manner, which is very effective.”
Wiseman, who lived in a fraternity house while attending MSU, said he is glad there is a legislation that will help clear the air for fire safety.
“When you have a tough event like [the Ole Miss fire], you have a lot of questions, and you also certainly don’t want there to be another fire,” Wiseman said.
Mackey said the decision to make the bill was based not only on the Ole Miss fire but by other state’s legislation as well.
“It’s a basic public safety bill,” Mackey said. “We are trying to insure the safety of students.”
“When it comes to fire safety, we should be as safe as we can be,” said Ray Hayes, vice president of finance and administration. “Fire and safety issues are one of the top things we [as a university] look at,” he said.
Hayes said the fraternity and sorority houses on campus are on land leased by the university, so housing corporations are responsible for the houses. Each housing corporation has the responsibility of ensuring not only financial help but also fire and life safety.
“We always have to be diligent,” Hayes said. “The housing corporations need to take their responsibilities seriously and investigate what they can do to make sure the residents are up to speed with all safety measures.”
“We’re optimistic that this bill will be passed,” Mackey said. “It will be safer for buildings and there won’t be confusion about who inspects the houses.”
Mackey said no one has opposed the bill so far, and he would like everyone to support it.
Mackey also encourages members of fraternities and sororities who live at their houses to understand the plans and comply with them if the bill is passed.