Letter to the Editor 1-22

To the Editor I am a fire deputy chief who spent the previous nine years working in Oakland. … To the Editor I am a fire deputy chief who spent the previous nine years working in Oakland. ‘ ‘ ‘ Several years ago, events which were previously unheard of began to occur. Students who lived off campus began to set couches and other combustible materials on fire as a type of victory celebration after certain sports games. However, such incidents are not harmless, victimless crimes. ‘ ‘ ‘ There has been serious property damage as a result of these episodes. One event involved a couch burning on the sidewalk on Melba Way that caused the gas meter in front of the building to ignite. This in turn caught a six-unit row house on fire. The residents living in two of the units were required to find other accommodations and some of their belongings were damaged. The property owner suffered severe damage to his building. ‘ ‘ ‘ Other times, some nearby automobiles suffered damage to their paint as a result of their close proximity to a blazing couch. ‘ ‘ ‘ If we would all just take a few seconds to think about the repercussions from poorly thought out actions, it might avert some unwanted troubles. I do not believe that any of the couch burnings were done with malicious intent or to be socially disruptive. Nevertheless, they have cost the taxpayers and victims of these events a good deal of money. I would like to appeal to the mature inner person in all of the students to savor the joy of victory after a special sporting event in a manner that does not cause property damage. Furthermore, universities could pitch in by teaching their students that some celebratory activities are just not acceptable. Michael J. Mullen Deputy Fire Chief Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire