Support & Wellbeing

Fire Safety

By ConductTeam 30 Aug 2022

This article is part of a series on behaviour and communal living issues in residences. In this article, we’ll cover:

Fire risks in the residences
Your fire safety responsibilities
How to protect yourself and those around you

Make sure you understand your fire safety responsibilities while you're living in residences. The fire safety equipment here may be different to what you were used to at home. The rules may also include areas you wouldn't expect, like not blocking corridors, or bringing in extra furniture. Here's some more information.

Fire risks in the residences

Fire risks can be a serious concern in student accommodation. In any place where there are lots of people living together, everyone needs to be responsible for helping to keep everyone else safe. Some fire risks are obvious, but others might be less clear.

Your fire safety responsibilities

When you’re first getting ready to move into your accommodation, you’ll be given lots of information on fire safety. As part of your e-induction, you’ll be asked to watch our fire safety video. Once you arrive, you’ll see fire safety posters on noticeboards around the accommodation. You’ll probably talk with your flat and your mentor, and discuss fire safety as part of your Community Living Agreement (CLA). Over time, though, it’s easy to forget, and accidentally put everyone at risk. Under the terms of your residence contract, you have to take basic precautions to avoid causing fire risks, as well as reporting any risks you come across in the shared areas. It’s best to remind yourself of the rules every now and then, so you don’t put yourself or anyone else in danger.

Smoking and vaping

Smoking and vaping are banned in the accommodation. If you want to smoke or vape, step outside and make sure you’re at least two metres from any doors or windows. Extinguish your used cigarettes properly, and put them in a dedicated cigarette bin. If cigarette butts are found in your flat, it's likely disciplinary action will follow.

Cooking

Lots of fires start in the kitchen, so keep your kitchen tools and workspace clean. Dirty trays and pans cause fires, and dishcloths left near the hob can easily ignite. Don’t leave your cooking unattended at any time.

Fire alarm manual call points

The buttons you can use to set off a fire alarm, to warn everyone about a fire, are called manual call points. They trigger the alarm immediately so that everyone knows to evacuate. Only press them if there is an emergency. If you think there's a fire, press the manual call point button and evacuate immediately.

Fire doors and fire exits

Fire doors are special doors that stop a fire for 30 or 60 minutes, to give you time to escape. Make sure you keep them shut, and don’t ever stop them open. Most of the doors in your accommodation are fire doors, so you should never prop any doors open. Fire exits are clearly marked in the accommodation, and emergency lighting will illuminate the route out of the building in the event of a power cut. Make sure you know where the fire exists are so you can evacuate quickly if you need to.

Fire extinguishers

Fire extinguishers come in different types, for use on different kinds of fires. Check the ones in your flat so you know what you can use them for. Don’t ever set them off unless you’re fighting a fire. Even if there is a fire, only use the fire extinguisher if you know what to do, and you're comfortable using it.

Fire blankets

Fire blankets are used to smother a fire, deprive it of oxygen, and in the process, put it out. They’re easy to use; you just drop them over a fire and wait for half an hour or more to make sure the blaze is out..

Fire detectors

Fire detectors in your bedroom and hallways are called particulate detectors. This means they're designed to be triggered by smoke. Steam, dust and aerosols can also set them off. Don’t spray anything near them! Fire detectors in the kitchen are triggered by heat. If the room is very hot from cooking, open the windows to cool it down. Don’t open the door, or the heat will vent into the hallway and trigger the hall detector!

Tampering with fire safety equipment

Messing around with any of this equipment when there’s no fire is taken very seriously, because it can put lives at risk. Under the terms of your residence contract, you have to report any faulty or used fire safety equipment to ACS Customer Services.

Banned items

Certain items are considered too much of a risk to allow them in accommodation at all. You shouldn't have them in accommodation for any reason, even temporarily. These include candles, incense sticks or burners, oil lamps, any naked flames, fireworks, petrol, paraffin, bottled gas, oil (including oil-filled radiators), inflatable items, deep-fat fryers, and chip pans. Soft furnishings (other than bedding) are banned too. Extra furniture is also not allowed, because it causes an obstruction (see below).

Obstructions

Obstructions are big and unwieldy items that take up lots of space. Examples include skateboards, bikes, sports equipment, clothes airers for wet washing, pushchairs, and camp beds. Obstructions are dangerous because they could cause someone to trip and hurt themselves, or get in the way of attempts to evacuate or fight a fire. Lots of items aren’t banned explicitly, but you won’t be allowed to keep them in accommodation if they’re judged to be an obstruction. If you have any items like this, keep them in places where they won’t be a danger, and don’t ever put them in corridors. Tidy them away when you’re not using them. If they're reported as a risk, you'll be required to get rid of them. If you don't, they'll be taken away, you'll be charged for any costs associated with their removal, and you may face disciplinary action.

Hopefully this article has helped you to understand different kinds of fire risks in residences, and how to keep yourself and those around you safe.

-- ACS Conduct Team