West Virginia Mountaineer football fans have come to be known across the country for celebrating big wins by setting couches ablaze in the streets.

But Morgantown Fire Chief Dave Fetty says the problems in recent years really haven't been with couches, so much as Dumpsters and other trash.

"We've got the reputation for couches, but most of the time, it's just garbage that's readily available," he said.

This year, in an effort to avoid anything that might bring negative attention to the school's successful football season -- and possible trip to the national championship -- local fire and law enforcement officials, as well as the university, have taken several precautions.

"We're not naive," Chief Fetty said. "There's potential. This is a huge game."

The fire department will double the number of personnel on fire trucks, and there will be three teams doing street patrols and occupancy checks in local bars.

"We've been extremely successful in catching people setting fires with our undercover street patrols," Mr. Fetty said.

As an added precaution, trash bins in the one-square mile area that's prone to trouble will be emptied today.

If a set fire causes less than $500 in damage, it is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine. If the damage is more than that, it becomes a felony.

The one precaution the fire department did not take, he said, is issuing an abatement order requiring any indoor furniture located on porches to be removed.

"I can't just arbitrarily issue an abatement order when it's not justified," he said.

The last time such an order was issued was in 2003 after a record number of fires.

Following the WVU game against Virginia Tech, there were 140 separate street fires set in one night, Chief Fetty said.

For their part, administrators at the university have been running ads in the student newspaper and distributing fliers at residence halls and other communities, said Ken Gray, vice president for student affairs.

"We want to make sure the spotlight is on the team and not on the fans," he said.

The ads list potential penalties for students who get into legal trouble, up to and including expulsion.

Mr. Gray doesn't recall any expulsions in the last few years related to behavior during or after football games.

"It's been quite a while since we've had any serious incidents," he said.

WVU Public Safety Director Bob Roberts said his officers will implement its big-game operations plan, which features increased staffing, K-9 units and more interaction with other neighboring law enforcement agencies.

"We all agree the first level of deterrence is uniformed officers visible to the public," Mr. Roberts said.

There will be increased monitoring at stadium entrance gates to stop fans who have imbibed too much from entering, he said.

"My biggest concern is that fan behavior does something to detract from the hard work these student-athletes and coaches have put in," Mr. Roberts said. "We don't want anything to detract from them having their moment in the sun."