Fire Safety and Building Reminders

Good Afternoon, Deacs-

We hope you're settling into the spring semester and looking forward to the spring weather!

Below you'll find information pertinent to living in your community including fire safety reminders and ways to reach out to facilities with any building concerns. As a reminder, please read your emails carefully and in their entirety.

At the beginning of each semester, we tend to receive messages of concern after an increased number of fire alarms and as students are learning their new community. Student safety is our highest priority and we want to balance that with your ability to rest and feel comfortable in your community. In this message, we'll explain some of the best ways to do that, as noted in our Guide to Community Living.

ALARM SYSTEMS

Be assured that our alarms are functioning properly and doing what they should. Any time we have repeated alarms from the same sensor, or any other indicators of system issues, our partners in Facilities and Campus Services check the system and sensors.

Our fire alarm systems are set at the lowest sensitivity that they can be per fire code. In other words, we cannot make the systems any less sensitive while remaining compliant with the fire code.
Our team receives a notification every time there is an alarm and we will continue to keep an eye on trends and how we can best respond.
Our community directors meet with residents individually who may unknowingly be the cause of repeat alarms.
Any misuse or abuse of fire safety devices/systems will be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students.

HOW SENSORS WORK

Our rooms use photo particle sensors, meaning they look for particles in the air that could be smoke. Unfortunately, those sensors can't distinguish smoke from steam, hair spray, etc. which often triggers what students will refer to as false alarms. Triggers for these alarms can include:

Discharging a lot of propellant in the room (air fresheners, cologne or perfume, body sprays, disinfecting cleaning sprays, etc.)
Cooking in the room
Propping of bathroom doors when showering allows for a buildup of steam
Using appliances that create steam or heat (such as irons or hair dryers) too close to sensors

It is important that you not use appliances that are prohibited, as those can set off fire alarms or create unsafe situations in our community. For a reminder of the appliances that are and are not approved in your room, please see the guidance from the Guide to Community Living.

COMMON FIRE SAFETY VIOLATIONS

Covered Smoke Detectors

Smoke alone often doesn't wake you- it can make you sleep through a fire. If a detector is covered, it may further limit your evacuation time.

Open Flames

Candles, incense, and similar items producing open flames are not allowed in RL&H facilities. (Candle warmers and similar hot plate items are also prohibited.)

Extension Cords

Only use UL-listed surge protectors with an on/off switch.
Don't plug cords into other cords, as this can overload circuits.

Sprinkler Violations

Removing or tampering with sprinkler heads will result in flooding.
Do not hang items from the sprinkler heads.

Propped Doors

Fire doors prevent the spread of fire in the event of an emergency to allow a safe exit from the building - Propping allows the flame to spread faster.

Blocked Exits

Obstructed exits, such as doors and hallways, can be dangerous during an evacuation.
Keep all building exits and corridors clear at all times.

If you ever see or suspect a fire in a residence hall, call 911 immediately. Throughout the coming year, please feel free to reference our fire safety web page for additional information and resources.

BUILDING REMINDERS

LIGHTS

Our lights are set to auto-on and auto-off meaning that upon picking up motion or sound, they will turn on, and then after a period of neither input, they will turn off.

In your bedrooms, they are set to manual-on and manual-off. What this means is that once you turn the light on, by pressing the switch, it will remain on as long as it senses sound or motion. If it does not, then the light will turn off. However, you must also press the switch again to turn the light off - as you should at night to avoid lights coming on while you are in bed.

If for some reason your lights are not functioning as described, please let your community staff know or contact us at housing@wfu.edu.

OUTLETS

The outlets throughout our buildings are tamper-resistant. These outlets help prevent electrical injury that results from attempting to insert foreign objects into the outlet.

To plug items in, please insert the plug as straight as possible. If at any point you have problems with your outlets please contact Facilities and Campus Services at 336-758-HALL (4255).

We know we've provided a lot of information, but we want to ensure the safety of all of our students. To resolve any questions you might have or report issues in your community, visit our webpage dedicated to quick links across a variety of residential and facility concerns. And of course, feel free to contact your community staff or our office at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185, during business hours.

Zach Blackmon, Ph.D., MBA

Associate Director of Operations

Wesley Todd, MPA

Associate Director of Housing

Office of Residence Life and Housing | Wake Forest University

336-758-5185 | housing@wfu.edu | rlh.wfu.edu

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