Fire safety for student dwellings
What was your student house like when you were at university, was it it clean, tidy and fitted with smoke detectors and fire sprinklers? Fat chance! Bet you took risks with fire safety and didn’t give it a second thought, that’s what being a student is all about. Think of the dangers you got away with though, at one point in the future it could be your son or daughter going to university and sharing a house, bet you wouldn’t want them to come to any harm. Extra care should be taken in shared houses, if you know a student that’s living in a bedsit, see if they take any of these fire safety measures seriously.
Extinguish cigarettes – Smoking is bad for your health in more ways than one. A high percentage of house fires are caused by people falling asleep with a lit cigarette in bed or sitting on the sofa at night. Drink is normally involved too. Whether you live in a shared house or not, always extinguish a cigarette before you retire for the night.
Take care with chip pans – It’s a brave person that introduces a chip pan to a student house. These things can be lethal in the wrong hands. Get back from the student bar after having one to many and it seems a great idea to fry a pan of chips. Chips pans deserve greater respect though. Only cook with half a pan of oil, never set the heat too high and never leave the pan on its own. If the pan catches fire, turn off the heat and place a wet tea towel over the top to smother the flames, if it’s safe to do so.
Watch portable heaters – Gas heaters are a good method to heat a student room but you have to treat them with care. Get them serviced regularly so you know they you have a good fire safety, never put anything too close to the heater and make sure they won’t topple over when they are switched on.
These are just a few fire safety tips for shared houses. If you are moving into a student house this year please take care, have fun, just stay safe as well.
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