Fire safety at Uni: essential tips video transcript and audio description

Let's be honest, fire safety  isn't going to be at the top of your to-do list when you're starting uni.

But it is important, so stick with us for  a few minutes while we show you how to stop fires from happening in your accommodation. 

And what to do if one does stop so you can avoid situations like this: 

[A fire starts in a student kitchen the fire alarm call point is activated and students start to leave their rooms into a smoke filled corridor. Back in the student kitchen the fire now fills the room.

Students leave the building and watch smoke billowing out of the windows.

Firefighters now arrive and start extinguishing the fire.]

[Text appears on screen: Stay safe at Uni.

Text appears on screen: Fire safety in the kitchen.]

Once you've started cooking don't get distracted especially if you're grilling or frying something. 

[A female presenter moves a frying pan of food off a hot oven.]

Always stay with whatever you're cooking to keep an eye on it and while we're in the kitchen.

[The presenter opens the oven and  pulls out a dirty grill tray.]

Try to keep your oven trays clean as grease and fat are highly flammable. All it takes is a quick wipe down when you're done cooking and you're sorted. 

[Text appears on screen: Fire safety in your room.]

Make sure you use the correct charger for your device, ideally the one that it came with. And if you're an international student, please make sure that your chargers work with the power supply in the UK. Using the wrong charger can overload the supply and cause it to overheat.

[The male presenter throws a plug to the female presenter.]

Also avoid overloading plug sockets and extension leads. This could create a power surge and cause a fire.

Only plug in the number of plugs it was built for.

Fairy lights are a great way to decorate your room but please make sure they're battery and LED based. Unlike mains-powered ones these don't heat up no matter how long they're on for.

[The male and female presenter are sitting down in a common room. The male presenter is about to start vaping. The female presenter stops him.]

Smoking indoors is banned. That goes for both cigarettes and vapes. Head to the designated smoking area. 

[Text appears on screen: Fire safety in your accommodation.] 

Now this bit is really important: so fire doors have this symbol and they're designed to stop the spread of fires but they only work if you keep the door closed, so please don't them open don't mess about with the smoke detectors fire alarms and firefighting equipment. Keeping these in good shape means they're ready to save your life if there's a fire.

[The fire alarm sounds and the female presenter leaves the screen.] 

If you hear this noise then it means you have to leave the building. Don't presume that it's a test. Walk, don't run and head to your fire assembly point! Check with your accommodations so you know where to go.

So here's what you should do if you need to report a fire.

[Most fires will automatically activate fire detectors and set the alarm off, but if you notice a fire and the detector hasn't picked it up yet operate the nearest fire alarm call point.  

Fire alarm call points are located throughout the building, are easy to use and have instructions on them. Once activated they will set the fire alarm off and you should follow the fire alarm procedure and evacuate the building.] 

And please don't bring any of the following to uni:

[Banned items in your accommodation include: candles or incense burners, deep fat fryers, chip pans, oil burners, E-bikes and E-scooters, electric incense diffusers, plug-in air fresheners, bicycles - please store in bike sheds only, bongs.

In your room, the following items are banned: toasters, kettles, electric heaters, microwave ovens, rice cookers. Thank you for your cooperation.]

[A PEEP is for individuals who may have difficulties leaving a building during an emergency or fire. When you apply for halls we ask you some questions to determine whether you need a PEEP and if you need one we will  develop one for you. If anything changes after  

you apply for halls which will affect your ability to evacuate a building, please get in touch with us immediately to discuss this.] 

This stuff might not be exciting but it is important. If you don't take the right actions then fires can start and spread very quickly. Plus you don't want to be known as the one that caused that fire. So remember to follow the advice mentioned here and you can keep your time at uni flame free. [Music]