Fire Safety on Campus

Know how to escape your dorm room or off-campus home.

As a new semester begins, add fire safety to your college preparation list!

From 2000-2015, the U.S. Fire Administrationreports 85 fatal fires in dorms, fraternities, sororities, and off-campus housing. The specific causes of fires in college housing include cooking, candles, smoking, and overloaded power strips. Follow these tips to be fire safe:

Have a fire escape plan that includes two ways out of every room.
Use surge protectors or power strips with internal overload protection.
Never leave a candle unattended.
Use flameless candles, which are both safe and attractive.
Keep your cooking area clean and free of anything that can burn.
Close the door and unplug the unit if a fire starts in your microwave.
Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out all the way. Put water on the ashes and butts to make sure they are really out before you put them in the trash.

Do not let a campus fire ruin your semester. Take action now, and know how to prevent fires by visiting:

www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/college.html.