HOWELL – As seniors at Howell High School gear up and prepare for college, they learn about the importance of situational awareness through the “After the Fire” Program.
On January 19, 2000, Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos’ lives changed forever. They were college freshmen at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ – roommates on the 3rd floor of Bolan Hall.
On that day, the two were trapped and severely burned when a fire was intentionally set in their dormitory on the campus. The fire resulted in three fatalities, and multiple injuries. Shawn and Alvaro were in the burn unit at St. Barnabas for several months, and experienced years of rehabilitation.
Now, the duo travels the country telling their story of survival and perseverance. They recently made their way to Howell High School, where they’ve been presenting their program for the past eight years in collaboration with the Howell Township Fire Bureau and the Howell Alliance.
“This fire created a retrofit requirement within the state of New Jersey, requiring all college campus dormitories to be equipped with fire sprinkler systems. Facilities within the Township of Howell were subject to those code requirement changes and are in place to this day,” the Howell Township Fire Bureau said. “In addition, students that will be embarking on their next journey after high school graduation are reminded of the importance of situational awareness when out in places of assembly. This is also an attempt to avoid tragedies similar to the Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island, where over 90 people were killed in a fast-moving fire while attending a concert at the club.”
“Speaking with representatives of the High School, this is by far the best program delivered to the students each year and is well received. The success of our initiatives has created the opportunity to now host this program in each High School within the Freehold Regional High School District,” the Howell Township Fire Bureau added.
As a result of this program, the Fire Bureau enhanced their presence within the high school. Fire and Life Safety Educator Ryan Valentino has developed and now delivers additional classes to each senior health class prior to or after the program. His classes focus on fire safety and situational awareness, as well as career opportunities available within the fire and emergency services.
“This is training that most students have never received, since elementary school. This program has also received positive feedback from both students as well as school administrators,” the Howell Township Fire Bureau said.
“The moving presentation informs high school seniors about situational awareness, decision-making, consequences, resilience, and fire safety,” Howell Alliance Coordinator Christa Riddle said. “Howell is blessed to have such strong cross-department, community-wide partnerships dedicated to keeping our youth safe, healthy, and informed.”
