We’re Back! – Our first episode back after a long COVID-19 hiatus. We share what we’ve been up to, a few lessons from COVID-19, and what we’re planning for future episodes.
Chapter Events in Light of COVID-19 – In this episode, we asked Will Frankenberger, Chief Safety Officer at Delta Zeta Sorority, to join us to discuss events in the time of COVID-19.
Chapter Housing Lessons from COVID-19 – In this episode we discuss what lessons the MJ Sorority team learned from COVID-19 as it relates to sorority chapter housing.
Event Planning: All About Liquor Liability – In this episode we discuss liquor liability.
Emotional Support Animals: An Evolving Approach – This episode contains an excerpt from our Housing Forum on the Road series discussing various approaches to Emotional Support Animals.
The Sorority held a new member retreat at a hotel. The members set up a ropes course at a nearby park. The ropes were approximately 6 feet off the ground. As a team building exercise, the new members had to help each other cross the rope without touching the ground. The second new member crossing the rope fell and broke her ankle. She had to undergo surgery to repair it.
A lawsuit was filed and was eventually settled for $175,000. The investigation determined that new members were not given the option of not participating and the organizations guidelines indicated spotters were supposed to be used.
During Parents Weekend, the mother of a member tripped over a wire that was run through the bottom of rocking chairs on the front porch of the house. The wire was gray and was a couple of inches off of the ground. The member’s mother sustained a significant injury to her elbow when she fell.
A lawsuit was not filed. However, the claimant did retain legal counsel. It was alleged that the sorority created a hazard by running the wire under the chairs and that the hazard should have been removed while invited guests were on the property.
The claim settled for $450,000.
A guest at the chapter’s barn dance was struck and killed by a drunk driver. The bus transporting members and their guests back to campus dropped the guest off prior to arriving at the drop off point at the guest’s request. The guest was later struck and killed by a drunk driver.
A lawsuit was filed against the Sorority and bus company. It is alleged that the sorority failed to enforce its own policies to prevent invitees from exiting the party bus an unauthorized drop locations.
The claimant sustained a brain injury during the chapter’s philanthropic football tournament. The chapter used University property to set up two football fields. The fields spanned the lateral width of a grassy area with retaining walls at the end zones. The claimant was attempting to catch a pass when he hit the retaining wall and landed on his head and shoulder on a brick sidewalk just passed the retaining wall. The claimant sustained an epidural hematoma and had to undergo an emergency craniotomy. It is alleged that the claimant will continue to experience difficulties associated with his injury for the rest of his life.
A lawsuit was recently filed against the University and the Sorority. The lawsuit alleges the Sorority failed to exercise reasonable care to make a safe playing field and should have known the dangers of the retaining wall being so close to the end zone.
The claim settled for $1,500,000. A waiver was not signed even though it was procedure for the Chapter to have them signed for this type of event. We were told that there was a good chance that the wavier would have held up.
A guest at the chapter’s barn dance fell into the bonfire. The claimant stood on a log near the fire in order to have her picture taken. The claimant slipped and fell into the fire. According to the newspaper, the claimant’s blood alcohol level was 0.14. The claimant was of legal drinking age.
A lawsuit has recently been filed against the sorority, the owner of the farm and the liquor store that provided the alcohol for the event. It is alleged in the lawsuit that the sorority did not provide the number of event monitor’s required by the University.
After the bus dropped the members and their dates off, a member’s date allegedly drove while intoxicated and struck a member and her date. The members date was killed as a result of the accident.
A lawsuit is pending.
The organization was setting up for a charity event when two members of the organization were pushing a student employee on a 25 foot tallescope ladder. The two women pushing the ladder ran over an extension cord on the floor which caused the ladder to topple over and the student employee to fall 25 feet to the ground. The student employee sustained a traumatic brain injury as well as severe injuries to her face, jaw, and teeth.
A lawsuit was filed naming the volunteers, organization and the charity. The University was immune from tort liability because it is both a governmental entity and because it provided workers’ compensation benefits to the injured student employee. It was defense counsel’s opinion that a jury would likely place 25% liability on each volunteer/member, 25% liability on the organization and 25% liability on the University. Even though a jury may have apportioned liability to the University, they would not have had to make any payments. It was also believed that the two members would have been immune from liability based on the state’s Volunteer Service Acts.
The University agreed to waive their subrogation lien of $1,500,000 which aided in the lawsuit settling for $850,000 during mediation. It is unknown if the charity paid a settlement.
July 2021: Topics include transportation risks, wildfires, mental health, & COVID-19.
According to the USDA Forest Service, historic fire data show that wildfires are not only getting larger; they also are becoming more intense. As populations increasingly move from metropolitan areas into the outlying fringes bordered by woodlands, grass and brush, this has significant property and life safety implications for households, farms, ranches and businesses. This decentralization into natural settings has created a landscape known as the wildland/urban interface (WUI). The WUI is defined as “the area where structures and other human development meet with undeveloped wildland.”
For those who live or work in the WUI, advance planning and taking safety precautions are critical in helping to reduce wildland fire property loss and injury. To reduce the risk, considerations should be given to the fire resistance of building structures, the topography of property and the nature of and proximity to nearby brush, trees and vegetation. Safety considerations include, but are not limited to:
Protection and Preparation
Create Safety Zones Around Structures
- Maintain a clear space free of brush, trees, grasses of at least 100 feet, preferably 200 feet, between the structures and natural growth.
- If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. Fire spreads rapidly uphill.
- Properly maintain or avoid ornamental plants known or thought to be high hazard combustible plants.
- Keep outside storage of flammable liquids, gases, and hazardous materials at least 100 feet from the buildings. Preferably, maintain them within a fire rated safety storage locker.
Maximize Fire Resistance Through Construction/Building Materials
(At time of new construction, remodeling, or through retrofitting)
- Consider exterior mounted fire sprinklers to protect the roof, walls and windows of the buildings.
- Install noncombustible roofing and siding materials.
- Replace plain glazing with fire-rated glass, or provide fire shutters.
- Cover house vents with wire mesh, to deter flaming debris from entering.
- Install spark arrestors on chimneys.
Prepare for Water Storage
- Develop an available water supply; and
- Connect with campus fire officials about availability of water
Other Considerations
- Make an inventory of property and furnishings. Here’s our version.
- Keep important papers, data and an inventory of your property and furnishings in a safe location offsite or fire-resistant rated safe.
- Have emergency/fire department telephone numbers readily available.
- Maintain building accessibility for fire department equipment.
- Have a continuity plan with alternative arrangements for continuing critical operations.
Response
Always be ready for an emergency evacuation
- Know where to go and what to bring with you.
- Plan several escape routes, in the event roads are blocked.
- Account for all members and employees of the chapter, during and after evacuation. Ensure a safe evacuation.
- Wear protective clothing.
- Practice evacuation plan.
Attend to last minute property mitigation measures
- Remove combustible items (wood, lawn furniture) outside your property’s safety zone.
- Close vents, windows, entry and garage doors.
- Close shutters and blinds to reduce radiant heat.
- Close all doors inside the house to prevent draft.
Attend to water preparation and other systems
- Shut off all sources of natural gas, propane or fuel oil supplies.
- Get water and water pump ready. Connect garden hoses. Fill pools, tubs, garbage cans, or other large vessels/containers with water.
- Put automatic garage doors on manual, in case of power outage.
Other considerations
- Follow disaster plan/ emergency shut down practices. This includes equipment, machines, HVAC and other building systems.
- Prepare hose lines and maintain a fire watch center. Activate any manually operated outside fire sprinklers, when appropriate.
Recovery
Read OSHA’s Wildfire: Response/Recovery.
Other Considerations
Contact your campus fire department, forestry office, emergency management office and building department for information about local fire laws, building codes and prevention measures. Obtain local building codes and weed abatement ordinances for structures built near wooded areas.
Additional Resources
Source: Travelers.com