The DeKalb Fire Department encourages fraternities and sororities to be aware of fire safety, but now the department is enforcing it.

September marked the beginning of fire inspection season. Every year, fraternities and sororities must have their houses inspected for fire and lighting safety, said Dean Richardson, lieutenant of fire prevention for the DeKalb Fire Department.

The fire department mails out an application to each title holder for each house, which is required to be mailed back with updated information about the property, Richardson said.

Next, the fire prevention lieutenant and a member from the building department visit each house with a team of members from the fire department.

“We check to make sure the houses have all of their safety items,” Richardson said. “We make sure their smoke detectors are working, their fire extinguishers are updated and check if they have proper exit lighting and emergency lighting.”

The inspectors walk through all of the rooms in each house to make sure there are no extension cords or halogen lamps, because both can cause problems with safety.

“It is very important to keep up with fire safety,” Richardson said. “Recently, three students died in Madison, Wisc. because they didn’t keep up with it.”

Some students also agree that fire safety is important.

“It’s important for our safety and for the safety of the people in the community,” said Brad Rodgers, president of Phi Sigma Kappa.

Also, many insurance companies require that fire safety be up-to-date.

“We have to do this every year in order to keep up with our insurance, and with so many people living here, we want to keep it safe,” said Melissa Bassett, president of Alpha Phi.