Check For Safety In Your Child’s Dorm Room

If your child's home-away-from-home is a college dorm room, there are a few things you should know. Start by conducting a visual inspection of the dorm room or suite, making sure to check the following areas:

Overloaded Circuits

• Next to candles and cigarettes, overloaded circuits are the second leading cause of campus fires.
• If an appliance cord or the outlet feels hot, the appliance should be disconnected immediately.
• Let your child know to report any outlets that are damaged or that no longer grip plugs properly, notify the campus housing staff immediately.

Power Strips/Adapters

• Most college dorms are equipped with an insufficient number of outlets.
• To compensate for this, students frequently use power strips or adapters to add more connections.
• These ramp up the load requirements and can overload the electrical system.
• Only power strips with an over-current protector (circuit breaker), which automatically shuts off if too much current is being drawn, should be used.
• To protect electronics like computers, printers and audio equipment from damaging spikes and surges, these devices should be plugged into a surge strip

Extension Cords

• Use only extension cords with the UL label.
• Remember: extension cords are designed for temporary use only and should never be used for permanent connections or to provide power to other extension cords.
• Never run them under rugs or furniture.

Appliances

• Toasters, microwaves, hotplates, coffeemakers and electric irons should never be situated near bedding, books, draperies or clothing. These items can get hot enough to ignite clothing or paper.
• Keep appliances away from bathtubs and sinks. Water and electricity should never come in contact.
• Appliances not in use should be switched off. Do not use any appliance with a damaged or frayed cord.

Halogen Lamps

Halogen lamps can reach temperatures hot enough to ignite blankets or curtains. If they are permitted on your child's campus, they should be used with extreme caution.
Make sure the lamp has a mesh guard that isolates the bulb and is also equipped with an automatic tip-over switch.

Evacuation Procedures

• Encourage your child to take on-campus fire drills seriously.
• Ask him or her about where the nearest exits are and whether or not they know evacuation procedures and escape plans.
• Send along a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector if these devices are not available and you can add to your peace of mind.