Captain’s Corner: Campus Fire Safety

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), September and October are the peak months for fires in dormitory properties, with cooking being the main cause of these fires. Fires most commonly occur during the evening hours between 4 p.m. and 12 a.m. and on weekends. Approximately 25% of all campus fatalities follow a party. NFPA and the Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) recommend the following when choosing a dorm or off-campus housing for students:
• Make sure you can hear the building alarm system when you are in your dorm room.
• If you live in a dormitory, make sure your sleeping room has a smoke alarm, or your dormitory suite has a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm in each living area as well as the sleeping room.
• If you live in an apartment or house, make sure smoke and CO alarms are installed in each sleeping room, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the apartment unit or house. For best protection, all smoke alarms in the apartment unit or house should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound.
• Never remove batteries or disable the alarms.
• Learn your building’s evacuation plan and practice all drills as if they were the real thing.
• If you live off campus, have a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room.
• Check your school’s rules before using electrical appliances in your room.
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking.
• Cook only when you are alert, not sleepy or drowsy from medicine or alcohol.
• Keep combustible items away from heat sources and never overload electrical outlets, extension cords, or power strips. Many fires are caused by portable light and heat sources, like space heaters and halogen lamps.
• Use battery-operated flameless candles. They can look, smell and feel just like real candles.
• Clear exits / hallways / stairs. In case of a fire, you’ll need to leave quickly.
• Leave quickly when the fire/smoke alarm sounds. Time retrieving items increases your chances of being trapped. Leave everything and GO.
• When charging electronic devices: Only use the battery and charging cord that is designed for the device. Do not charge under your pillow, on your bed, or on a couch. And do not keep charging the device or device battery after it is fully charged. z