Perhaps it's ingrained from having children, but September always feels like a new year to me. Not only that, but for me, the Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer (and white shoes!) no matter how hot it gets mid-month.

September usually is time to take some classes, start new routines and leave summer festivities behind. This year is a little discombobulated because the last big trade show of the year — Fire-Rescue International — is in September instead of the usual August.

As the school year cranks up, so do fire drills and fire prevention classes for students of all ages, particularly those in college. The Center for Campus Fire Safety is a non-profit organization devoted to reducing fire-related deaths on our nation's campuses. The center also is a clearinghouse for information relating to campus fire safety.

According to the Center for Campus Fire Safety's Web site, since January 2000 there have been 89 fire fatalities in off-campus housing, including rented houses and apartments. Common factors have included lack of fire sprinklers, missing or disabled smoke alarms, careless use of smoking materials, and alcohol consumption. Other news reports include lit candles.

A number of helpful resources are available for download from the center's Web site. In fact, their documents were downloaded more than 60,000 times last year.

For high school students and parents who will start visiting colleges this fall, there is an excellent Q & A about campus fire safety that can help in the selection process. Questions about sprinklers, automatic fire alarm response and false alarms are among the topics. The center encourages students and parents to "make a fire-safe informed decision when selecting your school." Also, visit www.princetonreview.com for specific colleges and universities.

As for those lit candles, I would strongly recommend the battery-operated candles available at hardware stores, home centers and online. These flameless candles have become quite realistic since they first hit the market a few years ago. I bought a small box of battery-operated tea lights that work very well when set inside my existing, used candles.

In other back-to-school safety news, some local high school teachers have asked for copies of the seatbelt poster FIRE CHIEF published in February. With the number of teenagers ejected and killed auto accidents this past summer, I offered copies of the poster to the National Parent Teacher Association to distribute to high school driving instructors. The PTA suggested that fire departments could distribute the poster to driving instructors or during mock drunk-driving accidents before homecoming festivities.

For additional copies of the seatbelt poster featuring the Colorado Springs Fire Department crew that survived a rollover, call Mike Harstad of Rosenbauer America at 605-543-5591, or e-mail sales@rosenbaueramerica.com.

September is my favorite month for new starts and a new year.

janet@firechief.com