Post-secondary students who are living away from home are being reminded to take the time to ensure they’re living in a fire-safe environment.
“Educating students on what they can do to stay safe during the school year is important and often overlooked,” said Jason Poole, public fire and life safety educator with the fire department. “Working together with students and their parents; our goal is to provide them with education and necessary tools to prevent a fire from happening in the first place.”
The department teamed up with both Western University and Fanshawe College and offered some safety tips for students. These include:
• If you live in a dormitory, be assured that Western and Fanshawe fire safety staff are extremely proactive in conducting regular inspections, testing and maintenance of their fire protection systems. Students still need to do their part by observing campus rules and following a few basic fire safety tips;
• Make sure you can hear the buildings fire alarm while in your dorm room;
• Learn your building’s evacuation plan and practice all drills as if they were the real thing;
• Check your campus rules before using electrical appliances in your room;
• If you smoke, smoke outside and only where it is permitted, Use sturdy, deep, non-tip ashtrays. Never smoke in bed or when you’ve been drinking or are drowsy;
• If you live off campus in an apartment or house, make sure smoke alarms are installed outside every sleeping area, and on each level of the apartment unit or house. For the best protection, all smoke alarms in the apartment unit or house should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all sound;
• A candle is an open flame and should be placed away from anything that can burn. Never leave a candle unattended. Blow it out when you leave the room or go to sleep;
• Only cook only when you are alert, and never when you are sleepy or drowsy from medicine or alcohol;
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking;
•Check with your Campus Police or the London Fire Department for any restrictions before using a barbeque grill, fire pit, or chimenea;
• Test all smoke alarms at least monthly;
• Never remove batteries or disable the alarm; it’s not a suggestion; it’s the law;
• Prepare a fire escape plan with two ways out of every room;
• When the smoke alarm or fire alarm sounds, get outside quickly and stay out.
For more information, visit the London Fire Department web site at www.london.ca/fire or call its Fire Prevention Division at 519-661-2500 ext. 4565 and ask for your area fire and life safety educator.
