A 20-foot fire safety trailer that will recreate a dorm room and simulate different levels of smoke during a fire is coming to campus on April 1 as part of a fire safety effort organized by the Waltham Fire Department, the Office of Student Development and Conduct and the Student Union. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 1 and 2, students will be able to enter the fire safety trailer, which will be installed between Sherman Dining Hall and Rosenthal Quad, according to Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. Fire officials from the Waltham Fire Department will also be giving out informational pamphlets and candy and answering questions at the event, Director of Student Development and Conduct Erika Lamarre said.

"[The Waltham Fire Department] brings to us the trailer to demonstrate how difficult it might be to exit or the proper ways to exit in a fire situation. I think it is going to be very interesting and very interactive," Lamarre said.

During fire drills conducted last October, fire officials from the Waltham Fire Department entered the Rosenthal Quad and found 21 covered smoke detectors, according to Lamarre. A Fire Safety Think Tank Committee was formed in the aftermath of the October fire drills to discuss the best way to address the issue of fire safety.

Since the think tank implemented a $150 fine in December and January for students who were caught with a covered smoke detector, approximately 12 students were fined, according to Lamarre.

The event will also feature a mechanical robot dog "to attract attention and be an education tool," said Andrew Hogan '11, director of community advocacy in the Student Union.

In the past, the program has previously been aimed at younger children attending elementary school, but the University and the fire department have worked together to try to cater it to an older crowd of college students, according to Lamarre.

"[Finding 21 covered smoke detectors ] really got the attention of the fire department of Waltham, so they have been working with us to make sure that we have been giving this our full attention," Lamarre said.

"[The goal] is to hopefully bring the message home that it's about more than just being safe in a fire or preventing a fire; it's knowing about how difficult it might be if there were even just smoke and getting out safely," Lamarre said.