Fire officers are calling on Sheffield students to familiarise themselves with evacuation procedures, after a blaze involving student accommodation in Bolton.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service has already written to universities asking them to consider any implications from the fire, which saw around 200 residents evacuated from The Cube.
evacuation strategies
Assistant Chief Fire Officer - Steve Helps, said, “It’s too early to tell what caused the fire in Bolton to spread in the way that it did or what materials were involved in the construction of the building."
He adds, “Even so, it’s a timely reminder for students and accommodation providers to understand the evacuation strategies for their buildings and make sure they follow them, every time an alarm goes off.”
reminder for students
The fire service is reminding students to:
- Ensure students understand the fire procedures and evacuation strategy for the building.
- Always follow the fire evacuation plan if the alarm is raised.
- Minimize ‘false alarms’, which can undermine other residents' confidence in the alarm system.
“False alarms - both accidental and malicious - are a fact of life for many students. But a large number of false alarms can lead to residents ignoring fire alarms when they do go off, which puts them at greater risk if the alarm is genuine,” said Steve Helps.