Students who sometimes find themselves using a fire extinguisher while attempting to cook dinner in their apartments might be interested in attending the third annual Student Fire Safety Expo.

The expo will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. today at Alpha Fire Co., 400 W. Beaver Ave.

"It's a great opportunity to get hands-on experience of fire safety," said Shawn Kauffman, assistant fire chief and fire inspector and life safety education coordinator for Centre Region Code Administration, the agency sponsoring the event.

He is helping to organize the expo for off-campus students and other members of the community.

The expo will feature a fire demonstration trailer, where people can walk through and experience a burned-out bedroom. They will see the actual effect of fire and its aftermath, Kauffman said.

To show the benefits of sprinklers, there will be a demonstration of them.

"This year we also have our new Centre Region fire safety house, which is a smoke room, so we do demonstrations of crawling through," he said.

Staff from local public safety agencies will be available to provide information.

The program was originally designed for fraternity safety and was an Interfraternity Council requirement for new members, Kauffman said. Because of the large number of people in a single location, fraternity houses are at a greater risk than houses and apartments, he said. Also, the construction differences, more wood instead of concrete, add to the risk, he explained.

Firefighter Scott Fry said there is a high risk in apartment buildings, too.

"Our vast majority of fires are people learning how to cook," he said.

Steve Triebold, truck captain, is the fire protection engineer in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety for Penn State. Fire protection has to be practiced year round, he said. The expo is intended to highlight it during Fire Prevention Week.

Fry said he hopes the expo is attended widely by the university community.

The importance of fire safety can't be stressed enough, he said.

Kauffman is also hoping for a good turnout.

"The more people we can get to come out, the more we can reduce the risk of fire in the community," he said.