Living away from home, especially if it's for the first time, can be very exciting and it's easy to get caught up in student life and forget about fire safety.

As parents inspect student accommodation to make sure it's suitable, they should also:

• make sure that premises are fire safe
• remind their children that fire safety checks should always be part of their routine

All students should take personal responsibility for looking after themselves and their housemates to protect them from the dangers of fire.

It's important to have a working smoke alarm fitted on each level of accommodation and to test them once a week. This will alert students and their housemates to the earliest stage of a fire, giving vital extra time to escape.

Students should follow a good fire safe bedtime routine – checking a few things before going to bed can reduce the risk of fire. It only takes a minute and could save lives.

Also, take some time to agree a fire escape plan to make sure everyone is clear what to do in the event of an emergency. This means knowing where the fire exits are and making sure furniture or stored items do not block them.

If there is no fire exit, plan an alternative escape route other than by the main entrance door.

A lot of students go home at weekends, so they should make sure that accommodation is safely secured and protected from the risk of fire. Make sure all electrical appliances not designed to be left on are disconnected, fully put out cigarettes, and close all doors.

Students should:

• test their smoke alarm every week
• prepare a fire escape plan
• carry out a night-time check  
• turn off all electrical appliances not designed to be left on
• put out all cigarettes and empty ashtrays into a non-combustible container.
• put out all candles
• close all internal doors 
• don't leave cooking unattended
• not cook when under the influence of alcohol

Students should also check that the fire alarm system in their accommodation is working.  If it is showing a fault, contact the landlord of the premises or the Estates Officer at your University immediately.

At Wyvern Risk Management, we specialise in hazard spotting providing you with trusted solutions as risk-based actions. Our Fire Risk Assessment process is third party accredited against the BAFE SP 205 scheme. 

If you need any further advice, please give us a call 0800 593 0916 or use the contact form below.