Students take
fire safety on campus

For the first time, student ‘fire safety ambassadors’ will urge university students living in rented accommodation to stay safe from fire.
Students are at a high risk of fire, as they don’t tend to have smoke alarms and their lifestyle habits - smoking, drinking and socialising - pose risks.

The Fire Kills campaign, sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, has selected a network of students to raise awareness of fire safety among their fellow students, including gaining coverage in student magazines and websites and distributing leaflets and posters to fellow students.

The ‘student fire safety ambassadors’ will also work closely with their local fire and rescue services to organise chip pan demonstrations to illustrate how quickly a chip pan fire can develop, get out of control and put lives at risk.

Sir Graham Meldrum, HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, said: “It is so important for students to remember to fit and test a smoke alarm regularly as you are twice as likely to die in a fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm.

“We are using this innovative approach to reach students as they are more likely to take notice of their university peers. The ambassadors will also have excellent knowledge of their local student media.”

The student ambassadors are from the following universities, which have been selected according to their population of second and third year students who tend to live in rented accommodation so are at a higher risk of fire:

Birmingham
Bristol
Central Lancashire
Derby
Hull
Leeds
Leeds Metropolitan
Leicester De Montfort
Liverpool John Moores
London Metropolitan
Manchester
Manchester Metropolitan
Newcastle
Northumbria
Nottingham
Sheffield
Southampton
University College London (UCL)
York
Warwick

Veronica King, the National Union for Students’ (NUS) National Vice President (Welfare), comments on her support of the campaign: “NUS welcomes the introduction of the student fire safety ambassadors scheme, and hope it succeeds in driving home the fire safety message to our members.

“At this time of the year, we would remind all new and returning students that fire safety in their university accommodation should be a priority and if accommodation is not up to adequate safety standards, it is vital students address this by complaining to their landlord.”

Simple tips on keeping safe in student, or any, accommodation:
- Fit smoke alarms on each level of the house and test them weekly.
- Don’t leave cooking unattended.
- Take extra care with cigarettes and smoking materials.
- Never leave candles unattended.
- Switch off electrical appliances when not in use, unless they’re designed to stay on.
- Check furniture has the permanent fire-resistant label.
- Practice an escape route with your housemates.
- If a fire starts get out, stay out and dial 999.

For further information, visit:
firekills.gov.uk