Every year, millions of students leave the nest to gain an education in hopes of bettering themselves. Indeed, college can be the golden years for some, a bridge for many, or an experience to altogether be avoided. But regardless of what you think about the ivory tower of academics, safety always comes first, fire safety especially. If you’re in the dorms, then it is possible that your living quarters will come equipped with fire safety technology. But if you’re off campus, the threat of fire hazards increases immensely.
Double Check
Although your landlord is obligated to comply with fire safety regulations, one being the installation of a fire alarm, and the other being an emergency exit, it is wise to double check to make sure this is the case. Almost 80-percent of fire-related fatalities for college students occur in off campus housing. Usually, these fires occur due to a lack of automatic fire sprinklers, a missing or disabled smoke alarm, or carelessness. At Central Alarm, we highly recommend that every homeowner is aware of their home’s fire safety status.
Precautions
First and foremost, check to make sure your smoke alarms are working, and make sure there is one smoke alarm in each bedroom. Secondly, make sure you have a plan of escape planned. Identify two ways to leave the building—it is recommended that escape routes involve doors with a single cylinder dead bolt. Lastly, always have a fire extinguisher handy. It is best to store this extinguisher in the kitchen, given that 41% of fires start in the kitchen.
