More important, says Wong, are the extensive series of fire suppression systems--and especially sprinklers--that exist in Harvard's buildings.

Nationwide, most college housing structures lack sprinklers. Indeed, according to the National Fire Protection Association, a Quincy, Mass.-based industry group, 72 percent of dorms, fraternity houses and sorority houses that suffer fires are not equipped with sprinkler systems.

But although Cambridge fire codes only require sprinklers to be installed in buildings over 70 feet in height, almost all of Harvard's 400-plus structures have the technology in place.

Wong estimates, however, that only about a dozen University buildings still do not have sprinklers.

Were the University to only go as far as the building codes mandate, sprinklers would only be necessary in structures like Mather House, the Leverett House towers or Holyoke Center, all of which exceed six stories in height.

Harvard's Houses and dorms also benefit from being so short. With only two high-rise dormitories on campus--Mather and Leverett--Harvard students face significantly less risk of being trapped high in a burning building, a factor which may have contributed to the fatalities in the Seton Hall fire.

Location, Location, Location

In many respects, Harvard's location does more to ensure its safety than just about anything else.