Many students renting apartments in Normal, Illinois are not protected with proper fire safety measures. It is currently legal for a leasing company to have NO fire extinguisher or sprinkler system installed in their student apartments, with some buildings housing over 20 people. Many students do not realize they are missing a fire extinguisher until it is too late. 

Last winter, half of the the Sugar Creek apartments burnt down due to a lack of sprinklers and fire safety, causing thousands of dollars in damage and leaving many students homeless. Local firefighters and EMTs are often burdened with putting out smaller kitchen fires that escalated when they could be prevented by a fire extinguisher. 

University students cannot easily afford a fire extinguisher between student debt and current bills. Even if we could, we cannot guarantee our neighbors will be able to stay safe on their attached apartments. There is no reason for these apartment companies not to provide fire extinguishers— they protect student and resident lives, and the properties themselves. 

Tragedies can be easily prevented. Tell the Normal Town Council to require its local student apartment companies to provide fire extinguishers in apartment dwellings that do not have a sprinkler system.

If you want to reach out to the Normal Council directly, you can find their public community form at https://www.normal.org/FormCenter/General-Forms-5-5/Contacting-the-Mayor-and-Town-Council-40-40 Thank you for your support!