DID YOU KNOW?
Back-to-school season is approaching, and students across Canada are getting ready to move into their college or university accommodations.
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY TIPS FOR COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
As students head to college or university, it’s crucial to be prepared for more than just classes. Over the next three weeks, I’ll be sharing essential fire and life safety tips from various fire and life safety professionals across Ontario. These aren’t just for a grade—they could save your life.
FIRE & LIFE SAFETY: A STUDENTS DISCUSSION
Whether a student is living on or off campus, it’s a great idea to discuss fire and life safety with them. This is especially important if they’re in an apartment or other rented housing for the first time. Even for returning students, a quick conversation can help reinforce good habits and prevent a potential tragedy.
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 parents to 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 9-1-1 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 fire 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.
