how to stay safe in your student accommodation by avoiding fire hazards

How to avoid fire hazards: Top Tips

It may not seem like a priority in your day-to-day life, but understanding the importance of fire hazards in your student accommodation will help keep you and others around you safe in your student accommodation. In this week’s blog, we have put together a guide of our top tips to stay safe in your student accommodation.

Be careful with electronics

• Make sure items such as laptops are not placed on soft surfaces such as blankets, duvets or even your lap. Doing this stops the airflow, causing it to overheat
• Never leave electrical items on charge unattended. Most devices tend to heat up, so charging unnecessarily can cause serious damage
• If you have mobile chargers or any electrical devices with damaged wires. Replace these to avoid them catching fire or even causing electrical shocks
• Do not charge e-scooters or e-bikes, or other e-vehicles in rooms corridors, or stairwells. Use the cycle storage facilities or ask your Halls team for advice
• Do not leave battery packs charging unattended

Covering heaters

Never cover fire detection or interfere with fire safety systems. It is there for your safety and must be always operationally available. If the equipment is damaged or malfunctioning report it immediately to the Halls team

• You might usually be used to drying clothes on your radiators at home. However, most student accommodation have electric heaters
• Never cover heaters whilst switched on. Items can easily heat up and cause a fire

Evacuation procedure

• Familiarise yourself with the evacuation procedure for the building and what to do in the event of a fire. If there is anything you don’t understand please ask, this could save your life
• Do not attempt to fight fire with any available extinguishers. Raise the alarm and evacuate the building
• Report any damage to walls, ceilings, doors, and electrical infrastructure (sockets/lights etc) immediately

Propping open fire doors

As easy as it may be to prop your doors open in your flat for easier access, doing so can put you in danger. Here are examples of things you must not hang from your doors

• Overdoor coat hooks and storage hangers
• Chin bars or exercise equipment
• Any form of decorations or lights

Fire doors provide a minimum of 30 minutes’ protection from smoke and fire and may well save your life. By propping fire doors open, you instantly loose that protection.

Storing things in halls and doorways

• In the event of a fire, you need to be able to exit your accommodation with nothing blocking the way. Meaning no luggage cases, rubbish bins or other personal belongings that could even cause an injury when exiting
• As easy and convenient as it may be to store things on an over door hook, this can easily become a fire and health and safety hazard

Cooking

• Never leave cooking unattended. It is easily done whilst waiting for your food to cook to nip into your room for a split second, only to get distracted by something else
• Avoid cooking after nights out. Yes it may be the cheaper option, but can also be dangerous too. Especially if you fall asleep waiting
• A good idea is to regularly clean: ovens, hobs and grills avoiding a build-up of grease and fat
• Ensure microwaves are never covered, avoiding them to overheat and cause a fire
• Never use foil or tins in the microwave. You may be a beginner at cooking but if you use tins or foil in a microwave, you will soon end up with a fire on your hands!
• Ensure all cooking appliances are switched off as soon as you are no longer using them
• Never place anything on the cooker surface other than pots and pans
• Familiarise yourself with the location and use of the fire blanket in the kitchen area
• Never put water on a cooking fire, if hot fats have ignited it could cause an intense flashover and very dangerous fire—use the fire blanket, exit the area, and raise the alarm

Open flames

There’s a reason we do not allow candles or smoking in our properties.

• Don’t use any form of candles or other forms of naked lights. As much as we know they make the perfect homely touch, they can easily catch fire! Better safe than sorry
• Similarly, smoking indoors not only puts yourself at risk, but others too

By following these safety tips, you can create a secure living environment for yourself and your flatmates.