Fire Safety

Did you know?

• Burnt popcorn in a microwave is the single largest cause of fire alarms on the Virginia Tech campus.
• Cooking is the leading cause of fire and home fire injuries in the United States.
• About two million fires are reported every year in the United States. Every year, fire causes more deaths than all natural disasters combined. It is the third leading cause of accidental death in the United States.

Fire can ignite very easily and is extremely dangerous, especially in a residence hall. However, there are many ways to prevent fire, protect your belongings, and escape injury if fire does occur in your residence hall.

In the event of fire, the following additional tips will help to keep you safe:

• Keep your door keys handy, so you can easily grab them in the event of an emergency.
• Feel the door with the back of your hand. If the door is cool, leave your room, close the door behind you, and proceed to the nearest exit to leave the building. If your door is hot, remain in your room, go to the window, and signal for help. Call 911 and report your location.
• The smoke and heat caused by a fire can be deadly. Stay close to the floor while escaping from a burning building. Keep your mouth and nose covered with a wet cloth.
• Do Not use elevators during a fire alarm.

Fire and Emergency Evacuation Drills

Each occupied residence hall is required to schedule four fire drills per year in order to comply with the Virginia statewide fire code. The purpose of the drilsl are to provide all residents and staff practice in the event there is ever a real fire or other evacuation emergency. Alarms and other components of the fire safety system are also checked to see that they are working properly. The fire drills are generally held within the first 10 days of the semester, during the hours of 8:00a.m.- 11:00p.m. In accordance with the university room entry policy, residents receive prior notification of the general timeframe for the scheduled alarm and that university staff will supervise the evacuation and enter 10 percent of student rooms selected at random to verify that the room alarm is working properly and that residents have evacuated. Following the drill, residents receive a report and feedback on the evacuation process.

The procedures for evacuation are described in this Fire Safety section. Be sure you know what to do when the fire alarm sounds, and always evacuate! Failing to evacuate during any fire alarm, real or drill, will result in a judicial referral and may result in probation or a more serious disciplinary sanction.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas. It is not detectable by the five human senses.

Even though it is not yet required by any code, Housing has installed a carbon monoxide detector into the mechanical and laundry rooms of each residence hall that has natural gas appliances for the added protection of the residents. Each detector is hard wired into the fire alarm system of the building. Should CO be detected by a monitor it will generate a building alarm, much like a fire alarm. When the alarm sounds the building must be evacuated.

Buildings that have CO detectors (i.e., all those with a potential CO source) include Cochrane, Harper, Lee, Newman, NRH-E, O'Shaughnessy, Payne, Pritchard and all Oak Lane houses.

Regulation Sources

Virginia Tech is required to comply with the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC), 2000 Edition. University policies and residence hall rules and regulations support compliance. Virginia Tech has several policies relating to misuse of fire equipment, arson, disregard of fire alarm signals, and tampering with fire alarm and smoke detection equipment. In addition, rules and regulations specific to the residence halls are outlined in detail in the following sections.

The Virginia Tech Environmental Health and Safety Services (EHSS) coordinate the university fire safety program. To view this information, visit http://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/fire_and_life_safety.php. You may also e-mail EHSS with questions at firesafe@vt.edu.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a part of the United States Department of Labor, has information on national regulations relating to fire safety. To view these regulations, please visit the OSHA website.

Fire Safety

Fire Drills

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Regulation Sources

Fire Safety Systems and Regulations

Resident Room Information and Regulations

Means of Egress and Evacuation Procedures

Policy for Residence Hall Decorations

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