As thousands of students return to college campuses this fall, many are preoccupied with what to wear, how to accessorize their dorm rooms, and whether their new roommate will have a mini fridge or TV to share.
While there’s no need to sweat the small stuff, packing for college does require careful planning for essential household items to help keep students safe and secure while away from home.
In fact, one of the most serious threats to student safety is alarmingly on the rise. The National Fire Protection Agency reports that while the overall number of structure fires has decreased by 52 percent since 1980, the number of campus housing fires has increased to more than 3,300 annually.
Here are a few planning tips from First Alert, the leader in home safety, to consider when preparing your college packing list:
Making the Trip Safely
Before you start packing, make sure you have the right number and size of boxes or other packing systems for transporting items. Use smaller boxes for heavier items so they are easier to lift. Pack large boxes to capacity so items do not shift during transport.
Use bubble wrap or other protective material for delicate belongings, such as mirrors, dishware or knick-knacks. Carefully wrap sharp edges. Mark these items as “fragile.”
Never pack bedding or clothes in plastic bags. Items may absorb moisture, tear or otherwise incur damage.
When transporting items on a trailer or in a truck bed, carefully secure them with restraints or a tie-down. A new stretch rope called Cordzilla is available in 3-foot, 4-foot and 5-foot lengths stretching up to nine feet. Cordzilla features two slidable, protective foam sleeves that can be moved to fit over valued possessions like table corners that might otherwise be scratched. The rubber foam sleeves stay firmly in place, keeping the rope inside the sleeves in place helping to eliminate abrasion.
Fire Prevention and Safety
Make sure that every student’s room has a working smoke alarm. If living in off-campus housing, make sure to install smoke alarms on every level of the residence and in every bedroom or sleeping area.
Test smoke alarms at least once a week and replace batteries every six months.
Never disable smoke alarms or remove batteries even temporarily; forgetting to replace them is a common cause of fire deaths and injuries.
Keep a fire extinguisher or Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray in your dorm room or off-campus apartment near your microwave or cooking areas.
Know where all exits and fire escapes are located for both on-campus and off-campus housing. Create and practice an escape plan at least twice a year.
Poison Prevention
Carbon monoxide (CO), an invisible, odorless gas, can also threaten your health and can cause serious injury or death before you even know that it is there. Here are a few precautions students living in off-campus housing can take to protect against this insidious gas:
Have all fuel-burning appliances carefully checked to ensure they are working properly, including your furnace, oven or stove.
Check to make sure that appliances, flues and chimneys are in good working order and are properly ventilated.
Install a minimum of one CO alarm outside each sleeping area, and for maximum protection, install at least one CO alarm per level.
Inspect the pilot lights on natural gas appliances to ensure that they are not mostly yellow in color, which indicates that the fuel is not burning efficiently.
“Packing for college often requires trade offs due to the space limitations for dorms and off-campus housing,” says Deborah Hanson, BRK Brands/First Alert director of external affairs. “But don’t let those space considerations stop you from making the right choices for creating a safe and secure college environment.”
To learn more about potential home safety hazards, visit https://www.firstalert.com or https://www.homesafetycouncil.org.
BRK Brands, Inc. (Aurora, IL), is a fully owned subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (Rye, NY) NYSE:JAH, a leading provider of niche consumer products used in and around the home. For 50 years, BRK Brands, Inc. has been the manufacturer of First Alert-branded home-safety products; the most trusted and recognized safety brands in America. BRK Brands designs and develops innovative safety solutions including Tundra? Fire Extinguishing Spray, ONELINK? Wireless alarms and a comprehensive line of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers and escape ladders to protect what matters most. Such products are also marketed under the BRK Electronics brand, The Professional Standard for the builder and contractor audiences. BRK Brands, Inc. products are found in more than 30 countries worldwide. For more information, you can visit https://www.firstalert.com, https://www.brkelectronics.com or https://www.jarden.com.
© 2008 BRK Brands, Inc., Aurora, IL 60504. All rights reserved.
