When sending your kids off to college, make sure they are safe

It’s a bittersweet moment when a child goes off to college — it’s a new world for them and parents are going to worry when they are living the campus life. 

Whether they are living at college housing, fraternity/sorority house or off campus, it may be their first time living independently. It’s best to make sure they plan, prepare and prevent emergencies.

If your college-age child’s most recent fire prevention training was learning to “stop, drop, and roll” in elementary school, it’s time for an update.

Nationally, firefighters respond to an average of 3,810 fires in college residence halls and Greek housing each year. Since 2000, campus fires have resulted in 122 fatalities and millions of dollars in property damage. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the vast majority of these fires could have been prevented through awareness and education. 

Of the approximately 3,800 campus housing fires that occur in the U.S. each year, the majority — about 88 percent — are cooking fires. Other causes include overloaded power strips, candles, space heaters, or arson.

Students have a responsibility for practicing fire safety in their dorms. It is important to follow each school’s specific guidelines about what students can and can’t have in their rooms. The items most commonly banned due as fire hazards are hot plates, toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, candles, halogen and lava lamps, space heaters, and incense.

Following these basic safety guidelines will reduce the chance that students are injured in academic facilities on campus.

• Identify the two closest exits and all potential evacuation routes.
• Know the location of nearest fire alarm and how to use it.
• Never prop open hallway doors or lock fire exit doors.
• Keep corridors clear of flammable materials to prevent a rapid fire from spreading.
• Report vandalized fire equipment to campus public safety.
• Fire safety experts stress the importance of practicing escape plans in case of fire in a residence hall room. A fire alarm should never be ignored. Students must get out of the building immediately and stay out until given the direction to come back in. Always close doors in the event of a fire, this will limit smoke and fire spread. 

When a fire occurs students should:

• “Get low and go” under the smoke to the nearest safe exit, assisting people with mobility impairments.
• Never use the elevator — take the stairs instead.
• Carefully feel a closed door for heat before opening. If it’s hot, find another way out.
• If trapped in a room call 911 from an area of safety. Keep the doors closed, and put a wet towel under the door to keep out smoke. Open a window and wave a bright cloth or flashlight to signal for help.

Off-campus fire safety

According to the Center for Campus Fire Safety, nearly 80 percent of fire-related fatalities in student housing occur off-campus. They are caused by lack of automatic fire sprinklers, missing or disabled smoke alarms, and careless disposal of smoking materials. Compared to regular renting, off campus housing has stricter regulations. There are a number of precautions students should take:

• Check for working smoke alarms with back-up power sources in each bedroom.
• Identify two ways to exit bedrooms/building.
• Look to see if building address is clearly visible so emergency services can find it.
• Ask when the heating system was last inspected (should be within past year).
• Find out when the last Fire Marshal inspection occurred (within the past year).
• Make sure windows open easily, and fire escapes are not obstructed.
• Learn how to use a fire extinguisher. Remember the word PASS when using a fire extinguisher: Pull the pin and hold extinguisher with nozzle pointed away from you. Aim low, pointing to the base of the fire. Squeeze lever slowly and evenly. Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

In case of fire, students should pull fire alarm and get out immediately, staying low to the ground. If behind a closed door, always carefully feel it for heat before opening. Never open the door if it is hot. If there is no other exit, phone for help and wait for fire fighters.

Know your physical limitations, and realize you are responsible or your action, peer pressure is not an excuse. Make sure you have at least two emergency numbers in your phone, including one relative and one local person as well.

And, of course, remember to call your parents often to tell them how it’s going.

Lt. Sam Pinto is a career firefighter, paramedic, nationally certified fire instructor, and certified fire and life safety educator. He can be reached at SPinto@iaff287.org.