Did you know?
With the back-to-school season nearing, post-secondary students throughout Canada are preparing for campus/off-campus move-in day. Current estimates show that over 2 million students are enrolled in Canadian colleges and universities this year.
Safety tips for students
Campus/off-campus life brings plenty of new experiences, but staying safe should be at the top of the checklist. Over the next three weeks, I’ll be sharing some essential safety tips to help students navigate independent living. These are insights you won’t want to miss—they could literally save a life.
Fire and life safety: Students’ discussion
Moving into a dorm or renting an off-campus apartment/home is an exciting milestone, and a critical time to prioritize safety. Whether these habits are entirely new to a first-time renter or serving as a quick refresher for a returning student, a safety conversation today can prevent an incident tomorrow.
Do an inspection to ensure detection!
It’s important to ensure that the dwelling the student is living in for the duration of their school studies has WORKING SMOKE ALARMS.
- Working smoke alarms save lives!
- In Ontario, it’s the law to have working smoke alarms on every storey and outside all sleeping areas; the law applies to single-family, semi-detached, townhouses and apartments (including basement apartments), whether owner-occupied or rented.
- For additional protection, it’s essential to have WORKING SMOKE ALARMS inside all sleeping areas and on every level of a dwelling. Note: Keep in mind that some dwellings may have more levels than storeys, which is often the case with split-level homes where the floors are staggered, with short flights of stairs connecting different levels.
- Rooming houses have specific regulations regarding smoke alarms or fire alarm systems.
- In addition to smoke alarms within each unit or suite, apartment buildings and student residences operated by the school may also have a building fire alarm system.
- Ensure the landlord, administrator or superintendent, etc., identifies and explains the fire alarm and detection features in the building and unit.
- The responsibility for smoke alarm installation and maintenance lies with the homeowner or landlord; fire safety experts strongly advocate that parents provide their child with a working smoke alarm for their bedroom.
- Remember, it’s against the law for tenants or anyone to disable or tamper with a smoke alarm.
- If a smoke alarm activates due to steam from the shower or cooking on the stove, oven or toaster, ask the landlord to move the alarm to a different location, or to install a smoke alarm with a pause feature.
Fire escape planning: Two ways out
When the smoke alarm sounds, everyone must know what to do and where to go. It’s essential for students to develop a fire escape plan, and keep the following in mind:
- Know two ways out of every room, if possible; the first way out would be the door, while the alternate escape route could be a window that can be exited safely.
- Make sure all designated escape routes are accessible and free of clutter and not blocked.
- Remember, upon the sound of a smoke alarm, leave the building as quickly as possible! Once outside, it is critical that you do not re-enter the building for any reason!
- Call 911 from outside the building, using a cell phone or neighbours’ phone.
- In a fire emergency, everyone must know what to do and where to go.
- Large apartment buildings and student residence buildings require a fire safety plan, which informs the occupants about emergency procedures; ask the building administrator or superintendent to explain the procedures in the fire safety plan.
- Smaller apartment buildings and houses that have been converted to apartments or lodging rooms may not have a fire safety plan, however, it’s a good idea to ensure there are two ways out of the unit. REMEMBER: The alternate way out can be a window that can be safely exited in an emergency.
Don’t miss next week’s Safety Tidbits Column! I’ll be sharing more important safety tips every student should know before they head off to college or university.
Remember, taking the time to learn and practice injury prevention costs you nothing. Failing to do so could lead to the unthinkable … the loss of your life and the lives of those you hold dear.
Safety—it starts with you.
