No matter where you live—whether it’s in a chapter house, an apartment or a dormitory take a look around. How safe is your living environment? Are you putting yourself at risk for a fire? Are you preventing your brothers and your friends from quickly and safely evacuating your home in the event of a fire?
Use this checklist to assess the dangers that may already exist in your home-away-from-home that might put you at risk for an on-site fire. How many of the following fire hazards do you find in your college home? Click here to download!
Entrances & Exits
- Obstructed exit doors
- No crash bars
- Poor/no lighting
- Broken steps
- Unlit exit signs
- Broken door locks
Stairs
- Uneven/loose/broken steps
- Low ceiling/overhang
- No self-closing door
- Worn/loose/missing step tread
- Broken/loose/missing hand rails
- Inadequate lighting
Sleeping Rooms
- Lack of smoke alarms and detectors
- Inoperative smoke alarms and detectors
- Obstructed exit doors
- Blocked heating panels/registers/vents
- No self-closing door
- Walking/tripping hazards
- Overloaded outlets (especially around electronic equipment)
- Presence of combustibles (e.g. candles, incense)
- Presence of hot plates
- Missing/loose door knobs
- Unstable/hazardous bunk beds
Kitchen
- No GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets
- Unsanitary conditions
- Missing/greasy exhaust hood
- Greasy/slippery floor
- Overloaded outlets
- Overdue/expired inspection certificate
- Unsecured shelving
- Inadequate wiring/electrical cords
- Bare/unprotected bulb in exhaust hood
- Missing/discharged/expired fire extinguishers
- Ungrounded kitchen appliances
Hallways & Corridors
- Inoperable/missing fire alarms
- Missing/discharged/expired fire extinguishers
- Missing/inoperable smoke detectors/alarms (battery or hard-wired)
- No posted evacuation map/emergency numbers/emergency procedures
- Unmarked/unlit exits
- Damaged, blocked and/or propped-open fire doors
- Obstructed fire alarms
- Uneven/loose floorboards/tiles
- Unsanitary conditions
Bathrooms
- No GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) outlets
- Boiler Room
- Cluttered storage
- Damaged pipe insulation
- Presence of combustibles/flammables
- Poor ventilation
- Overdue/expired boiler inspection
- No self-closing door
- No fire walls/doors
Utility Room
- Blocked electrical circuit panel
- Electrical hazards/overloaded outlets
- Ungrounded appliances
- Cluttered storage
- Missing circuit panel cover
- Unsecured shelves
- Defective/broken ladder
- Unlabeled circuit breakers
- Open flammable liquids
Exterior
- Loose siding/shingles
- Ungrounded outlets
- Overgrown vegetation
- Uncontrolled roof access
- Broken window glass
- Inoperable windows
- Damaged fire escapes
- Uneven sidewalks/driveway
- Poor exterior lighting
