Keep Dorm Rooms Safe from Electrical Fires

Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com

Carl and Colleen College used to pack their trunks with sheets, towels, and clothes in August and head for an institute of higher learning.  Students and their parents today also haul computers, CD and DVD players, TVs, small refrigerators, cooking burners, and microwave ovens into many dorms built before Edison's first electric utility in 1882.  Even many 20th-century dorms cannot safely handle the electric tools and toys students plug in today.

According to Underwriters Laboratory (UL), 1,800 fires occur on average in dormitories and campus housing each year in the United States.  Some of these fires result from careless smoking and unattended candles, but overloaded extension cords and power outlets are the most common culprits. Therefore, students should follow university rules about power usage and have fire escape plans.

Students and their dorm mates should follow these safety tips:

• Look for the UL mark on electric appliances and devices.
• Make sure electrical wires and cords are not worn or frayed.
• Never bunch cords up behind a hot appliance.
• Do not overload extension cords, power strips or outlets.
• Do not connect multiple extension cords together; extension cords are for temporary use only.
• Do not route extension cords under carpets or doors, or staple or puncture them.
• Adaptors should be used in dorms with old-fashioned, two-prong outlets. Follow adaptor directions carefully.
• Use a power strip with an over-current protector. It will shut off power automatically if too much load occurs.
• Unplug appliances immediately if an outlet is hot to the touch and notify the resident assistant.
• Follow wattage instructions. Some appliances may indicate amps rather than watts. Amps x volts = wattage. If using an extension cord to connect two or more appliances, add their wattage to determine if the cord is sufficient.
• Use light bulbs with the correct wattage. The wattage maximum should be indicated near the bulb socket.
• Use halogen lamps only with a mesh guard to prevent contact with the bulb, and only if they have an automatic tip-over switch. Some college campuses have outlawed halogen lamps.
• Keep a working fire extinguisher in the room or know where one is nearby.
• Make sure dorms have working—and regularly tested--smoke alarms on each hall.

For more dorm fire safety information, visit the Underwriters Laboratories Web site, http://www.ul.com/consumers/college.html, or the Electrical Safety Foundation International Web site, http://www.esfi.org.