Fire Marshall

The Official University of Oslo Fire Marshall vest and whistle

I was sitting today at breakfast, having my second cup of coffee and considering what to do with my day, when I was approached by Wojtek, the Residential Manager, and asked if I would like to be a Fire Marshall for my floor of Blindern Dormitory. Seeing no good reason as to why not, I agreed to take the position.

A dashing get-up isn't it?

Now, the title Fire Marshall is a bit misleading, as it's nothing like our American use of the term. The Norwegian word is Brannvern, and it doesn't have a great English translation. Brann is Norwegian for fire, and Vern is a word meaning to protect or defend, so a Brannvern is someone who protects people from fire, I guess. The dormitory we live in is almost entirely wooden, so they take fire policy rather seriously. There are two of us on every floor and we have basically two responsibilities. First off, when a fire alarm sounds, we have to jump up, toss on our blaze orange vests and direct people to evacuate the building. Then, when everybody is out, we have to take role and report to the proper authorities. Our second responsibility, on the prevention side of things, is to tell people not to smoke in their rooms. Hopefully, knock on wood, I won't have much to do in regards to this job.

Aaron, my friend from the University of Chicago and fellow 3rd floor Fire Marshall