Accommodation

How to avoid a fire alarm activation

By HWResLife 01 Jun 2021

Picture the scene...

It's 11.45pm and you are stressed out trying to finish an assignment for tomorrows deadline, you have too much to do and not enough time to do it. You only slept for 3 hours last night, you skipped dinner so you are hungry, exhausted and just when you think it can't possibly get any worse - the fire alarm goes off.

This is the third time this week.

Outside the frost is thick and you shiver in the crowd huddled at the fire assembly point as you wait for SafeGuarding to arrive and investigate.

Finally, the all-clear is given and you are allowed back in, to warm up and try to get back in the mood to work, which at this point feels all but impossible.

This is avoidable!

If we can all be mindful and we can make fire evacuations a rare event...

The number one cause?

Unattended/Burnt Cooking - On behalf of all your hall-mates, we implore you - please, please never leave your cooking unattended! If you have to leave the room make sure you ask your mates to watch it, supervision is compulsory at all times! Use your extractor fan as you cook and if you do burn your lovely dinner, keep the kitchen door shut and open the window until the smoke has cleared. Most kitchens are fitted with a heat detector so won't be set off by smoke, just don't let that smoke out into the corridor!

Other common causes:

Steam from the shower - keep the bathroom door closed while you shower
Spray deodorant - Please don't stop using deodorant, just don't spray it underneath the smoke detector

We know fire evacuations can be frequent - but remember - anyone could turn very serious, very quickly. Do not get complacent! Treat every alarm as a serious fire and evacuate the building immediately.