In memoriam of Sonny Wang, an Ames man who died in a fire in late March, the Ames Fire Department and U.S. Education Without Borders hosted a fire safety training certificate program Thursday at Ames City Hall.

Sonny Wang, a former ISU student, became heavily involved with Cornerstone Church during his time at the university.

“Anyone who knew him would say he loved people,” said Eric Warren, a pastor at Cornerstone.

Wang worked with the international ministry, helping international students adjust to living in a completely new environment. Wang went to Haiti in January to volunteer with Mission Starfish Haiti, whose founder is also an ISU alumnus.

Swallow Yan, a member of US Education Without Borders, knew Sonny for two years before his death.

“He worked hard to provide for international students, making them feel comfortable,” Yan said.

Friends said Wang was someone they could count on.

“He was bold and not afraid to confront a problem if he saw one,” Warren said. “We’ve lost a good friend.”

The program focused on fire prevention and safety in residential buildings.

“Fire deaths and incidents are going down, except in residential-type occupancies,” said Tom Henriksen, fire inspector for the Ames Fire Department. “Universities, hospitals and such are good about inspection and safety.” 

According to the fire department, 90 percent of deaths and 85 percent of injuries happen within a residence when the victim is asleep.

“Don’t sleep with earbuds, don’t sleep with loud music,” Henriksen said.

New fire alarms will have a lower frequency, which research has shown is more effective in waking up children, people with hearing disabilities and people under the influence of alcohol.

The program focused on the understanding of fire prevention, smoke alarms, an escape plan, campus fire safety and the use of fire extinguishers.

In addition, common carbon monoxide safety mistakes were also discussed. Carbon monoxide alarms should be used wherever the resident can hear the alarm because CO spreads evenly throughout a home.

“There’s a tendency for people to become complacent and they don’t know all their options,” Henriksen said.

Escape plans can become problematic when there’s only one exit that everyone is forced to use in larger apartment-type buildings.

“Overall, fire prevention is low priority for people,” Henriksen said. “Occasionally, there’s a wake-up call that brings it home for people for a short time.” 

Oftentimes, people will stop reacting when fire alarms go off after false alarms, so when there’s actual danger present, they don’t react as quickly as they should, Henriksen said.

The fire department encourages the public to visit www.fema.gov, the website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Ames residents can also call the Ames Police Department regarding any questions about whether their home is up to safety standards.

“In interviews of victims’ loved ones, they’ll say a fire never occurred to them as a possibility,” Henriksen said.  “Any fire death is senseless.”