Off to College

As Halton Hills students prepare to move into rented housing while attending college or university, parents and the students themselves should take a proactive approach to finding safe accommodations to live. Parents and students need to have a serious conversation about being fire safe and following good fire safety practices. Mayor Rick Bonnette, a former long time college instructor says, “This should be an exciting time in the student’s life and should not be marred by a fire tragedy”.

To help our community’s’ students who are going off to college or university, Mayor Bonnette offers a few tips of what every student should know to prevent fire.

1. Be an attentive cooker. Never leaving cooking unattended. Cooking requires constant attention and talking on the telephone, watching television can lead to unnecessary fires.
2. Be your own liquor control board. Alcohol is a common denominator in many fire fatalities involving smoking and cooking. Be watchful of friends who have been drinking excessively, especially if they are cooking or smoking.
3. Establish some ground rules if you permit smoking in areas other than outside. Have large sturdy ashtrays that won’t tip over easily. Watch for ashes falling onto cushions and carpets. Before going to bed, check around the furniture, sofa and chairs for any possible discarded butts.
4. Plug your appliances directly into receptacles where possible avoiding the use of extension cords. If an extension cord is absolutely necessary be sure it bears a CSA or ULC approval label.
5. Keep towels, paper and things that burn away from heat sources such as stove burners, portable heaters and appliances. Clearing the clutter will help prevent a fire from starting.
6. Keep candles away from nearby combustibles such as curtains, bedding, newspapers etc. Place them in a sturdy holder with a glass shade or hurricane chimney and when you leave the room, blow out the candle.
7. Working smoke alarms: It’s the Law. Your room or apartment must have working smoke alarms. Test them monthly and if they are found not working, notify the landlord immediately. Never tamper or disable a smoke alarm.
8. Know what to do if the smoke alarm wakes you. Before moving in, make sure all exits are identified and working, familiarize yourself with the buildings fire safety plan and most of all, know 2 ways out.
9. Put together a small emergency kit in the event of a prolonged power outage. Include a battery operated smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm, spare batteries and a flashlight.

Mayor Bonnette says, “These few safety tips will help keep our young citizens and students a bit safer from the dangers of fire”, adding, “Whether returning to school or just starting out for the first time, having a frank discussion about fire safety could make a difference”.

Support Our Sponsors