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Fire Safety & Student Living

Whether students are home-leavers or more mature, living in dormitories and shared accommodation means you should take extra care with fire safety.

• Dormitories and Halls of Residence
• Rented Accommodation
• Houses of Multiple Occupation - 'HMOs'
• False Alarms

Dormitories and Halls of Residence

Student 'halls' or 'dorms' must have fire detection and alarm systems fitted and most have strict rules designed to reduce fire risks.

There'll be automatic fire detectors in key areas. They're activated by heat or smoke, and sound an alarm. If you hear a fire alarm, get out and stay out.

There'll be break-glass fire alarms near exit doors. If you discover a fire - or if you suspect there's a fire - break the glass to sound the fire alarm. That'll warn other students. Then get out and stay out.

There'll be fire resistant doors in key areas. When they're shut they protect your escape route from smoke and fire. Never wedge fire doors open. That kills people. It's dangerous to open a door if there's a fire behind it. Touch the door with the back of your hand. If it's hot, don't open it.

There'll be fire extinguishers and fire blankets to tackle small fires. But never put yourself in danger. If in doubt, get out and stay out. Call 999.

For added safety, these things are usually banned in halls of residence:

• cooking appliances - even countertop stoves and toasters
• use of candles, incense, burners and other naked lights
• portable heaters
• most dormitories are also now smoke-free zones

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Rented Accommodation

If you're sharing rented accommodation, there's a bigger risk of fire. That's partly because rented accommodation isn't always well maintained.

In rented accommodation always:

• check there are working smoke alarms in the flat and on stairs and landings
• check there are no bars on the windows
• check the labels on the furniture. Furniture made before 1988 won't be flame-resistant. It can catch fire easily and will give off clouds of toxic smoke.

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Houses of Multiple Occupation - 'HMOs'

If 3 or more of you are renting/sharing, the landlord must have a licence from the local council for a House of Multiple Occupation.

If there's no licence, don't rent the property. Report the landlord to the council.

If it has a licence, it must have:

• smoke/fire alarms to detect and warn of fire
• an emergency plan showing the nearest exit
• an escape route
• fire extinguishers.

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False Alarms

Most calls to student accommodation are false alarms. Many false alarms are caused by carelessness. Some are deliberate.

Firefighters answering a false alarm could be delayed in saving lives in a real fire.

In halls of residence, if smoke or heat detectors are triggered, the Fire Service is called automatically.

To avoid false alarms, don't allow the following any where near smoke or heat detectors:

• aerosol sprays
• candles and incense sticks
• cooking fumes
• steam from bathrooms and irons
• smoking materials

Smoke detectors are sensitive:

• never use sprays directly under smoke detectors
• never cover a smoke detector head
• keep bathroom doors closed
• take extra care if you use candles or incense sticks *
• take extra care if you use a portable cooker or heater in your room *

(Heaters, cookers, incense and candles may be banned in Halls of Residence - check your residency agreement)

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