College should be a great time in a person’s life. The campus should be a place where students feel welcome and comfortable, and if they have on-campus housing, they should feel safe and “at home.” That said, it’s so important to have quality fire alarm systems in place on college campuses.
Fires can and do break out in college dorms and classrooms. While not too common, you’re probably wondering what the main reason would be for a fire in college… And the answer to that is alcohol. There’s a strong link between alcohol and fire deaths. You see, college kids often like to drink beer and other things, and when they do, their judgment is impaired. Then they start cooking things in their dorms, while smoking, and, well, it’s not unusual for a fire to break out when you bring together all these things.
College kids are often apathetic. This means they hear a fire alarm but don’t care. They’re unprepared for a fire in their building. They might not know the way out of the building. Some pranksters might have messed with smoke alarms and fire alarm systems so they’re not in working order. Maybe too many plugs are plugged into one wall socket, overloading electrical circuits. Long story short, you can see how fires are likely to occur in college dorms and on college campuses.
How to Be Proactive
So what can be done? Students need to pay attention to fire safety and prevention workshops. They should know how to use the 911 system. They should test smoke alarms and replace batteries each semester. Rooms should be inspected for fire hazards. Evacuation drills should be conducted.
All in all, students and others on college campuses should pay attention to smoke alarms and fire alarm systems when they go off. They should evacuate the building just in case there really is a problem. And colleges need to make sure their buildings have working systems at all times.
If you’re living on a college campus and concerned about your fire alarm system(s), Life Safety Consultants can be reached at 1-888-557-0558. Give this number to the people responsible for keeping you and your friends safe from harm.
