Fire Safety And Your Student

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Since January 2000, 88 people have died in on- and off-campusrelated fires. Nearly 80 percent of these fatal fires occurred in offcampus housing, where most studentslive. A commonfactor in fires involv- ing college students is alcohol consumption, which may limit response to traditional smoke alarms. A recent study found that young adults who went to sleep under the influence of alechol took nearly twice as long to wake to a smoke alarm than when they were sober. In that same study, more than one-third of participants underthe influence never woke up. Disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of cigarettes and lack of automatic fire sprinklers also contribute to the college fire problem. “It is vital that students learn howto protect themselves and their friends from fire,” said Ed Comeau, director of the Center for Campus Fire Safety, a nonprofit organization devoted to reducing the loss of life and property from campusrelated fires. “It’s important for parents to ask the questions and make sure their child’s housing is equipped with smoke alarmsandfire extinguishers. If you aren’t concerned about fire safety, you can’t expect your kidsto be.” Before your kids pack their bags and head to school, discuss these important fire safety tips with them: 10 Lack of automatic fire sprinkler systems Missing or disabled smoke alarms Careless disposal of smoking materials Alcohol consumption preventable deaths since January 2000 — that’s more ) than 1 per month VO nation’s college students reside one alarm sounds, all of the alarms sound. This immediate response helps provide early warning no matter wherethefire starts, giving more Test smoke alarms monthly andreplace batteries as needed. Never disable smoke alarms by removing the batteries or by covering them. Know two ways out of every building—your residence hall, apartment, nightclub, restaurant or movie theater. A Kidde fire escape ladder can provide an alternate exit from second- or third-floor rooms. oo of campus-related fires occur in off-campus housing where 3% of the Install UL-listed smoke alarms in every room of a rental property. Battery-powered wireless smoke alarms, such as the Kidde Wireless System, link together so that when time to escape. students died in fires during the 2005-06 academic year Source: Center for CampusFire Safety every year: fire. COMMON CAUSES OF FATAL GOLLEGE FIRES @ (NAPSA)—More than 10.2 million young adults ages 18 to 24 head to college each fall, leaving parents to wonder about the issues their children will face— crime, academic pressure and social activities that may involve alcohol. Parents often overlook a problem that strikes college towns Properly dispose of smoking materials in ashtrays. e After parties, check chair and couch cushions for smoldering cigarettes. Purchase a fire extinguisher and learn how to use it BEFORE a fire breaks out. Install UL-listed carbon monoxide alarms on every floor and near sleeping areas. * Use UL-listed extension cords and electrical appliances properly. Don’t overload electrical outlets. Never leave candles unattended and keep them away from flammable items. Be sure to extinguish candles before going to bed. For more information about campusfire safety, visit www.cam pusfire.org.

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