Fire Safety at Homerton

When you hear the fire alarm, evacuate as quickly and safely as possible using the closest fire exit (bear in mind this may be a different route than how you enter the building). Do not use the lifts. Go to the assembly point for the building you are in (shown on the map below). This information is displayed on a 'Fire Action Notice' in your room, which you should read and follow. These notices are also posted at fire exit doors. Get familiar with the quickest route out of your building, as you may have to exit in dark or smoky conditions, in which case keep low. Also work out a secondary route, so that if your usual route is blocked, you can still safely exit the building. Any issues with this, contact the Porters as soon as possible.

Once you are out of the building and at the assembly point, ensure you move well into area, to ensure paths and building doorways are kept clear, to allow all residents to safely get out of the building. Do not re enter the building, even if the alarm stops, until you are given the all clear to do so by the Porters or the fire brigade.

This takes place every Thursday morning between 08:00 and 10:00. If between these times you hear the alarm sound for a few seconds and then stop, you do not need to evacuate. If the alarm continues to sound for longer than this, you must evacuate the building as usual.

At all other times, if you hear the fire alarm sound, you must evacuate the building. Any slow or poor response by residents to a fire alarm will result in another fire drill being performed. Any individual who does not or is slow to evacuate will be sent to the Dean.

If you discover a fire, back away, closing any doors, and press the nearest call point as you safely exit the building.

We do not expect anybody to attempt to fight a fire, unless they are trained and confident, and know the correct extinguisher to use.

Phone 999. The Porters attend to every fire alarm, and will ensure the fire brigade can gain access onto site.

Cooking is the number one cause of fire alarm activations. Never leave cooking unattended. When you are cooking, make sure you keep the kitchen door closed. This will ensure that steam does not set the detector off in the corridor, as they detect smoke, whereas in the kitchen will be a heat detector. Open windows and turn on extractor fans.

If you return late after a night out, do not cook, as you will be more likely to set an alarm off and disturb the entire household. It is much safer to get a takeaway!

Fire doors must remain closed when not in use, do not leave them wedged open. These are designed to withstand fire for up to 60 mins and contain a fire, so by wedging doors open this will not happen and a fire could spread further and faster. Fire doors include your room entrance, kitchen, stairway and corridor doors.

Residents or their guests must not tamper with any self-closing devices on fire doors.

Please report any fault or damage immediately to Estates.

Electricity can cause fires. Prevent this from happening:

• Do not overload plug sockets or extensions
• Do not to leave devices such as phones or laptops charging on your bed
• Leave hair straighteners to cool on a heatproof surface
• Do not use any prohibited items in your room, for example cooking equipment
• Do not charge e-scooters or their batteries:https://youtu.be/Ka2hMktqoCY

Do not block or obstruct corridors, stairways or fire exit doors. Remove rubbish to a bin promptly and keep all of your belongings in your room. 

By law, there is absolutely no smoking or vaping inside any room or building. Do not use lighters or matches inside either. There are only 2 places for smoking or vaping whilst onsite – one shelter in the MAB car park, and one shelter in the visitor car park. Do not smoke or vape anywhere else whilst onsite. Anyone found to be smoking inside, or evidence of this, will be reported to the Dean. Candles are not to be used in rooms either, and will be confiscated if found.

We are legally required to perform 2 fire drills per year in all of our sleeping accommodation blocks. These take place in Michaelmas and Lent terms. They are a good opportunity to practice evacuating your room and building in a timely manner, finding the correct assembly point, and waiting there for further instruction from the Porters, whilst leaving enough space for others who may still be leaving the building.

Drills are also a good opportunity for us to observe your response, and any slow or generally poor evacuation will result in a subsequent drill at a later date, until a satisfactory response is achieved.

If you see any signage on your door relating to 'Fire Warden', 'Deputy Fire Warden' etc., please disregard this. It relates to an old system that is no longer being used. All we expect is for you to evacuate to the assembly point as standard. If you find a box continuing fire warden equipment or information in your room, please bring this to the Porters' Lodge.

There are a number of steps you can take to reduce false alarms:

• Keep the kitchen door shut whilst cooking
• Turn the extractor fan on whilst cooking, and open the window
• Keep the bathroom door shut during and after showering, and turn on the extractor fan
• Be aware of where the detector is on the ceiling in your room
• Be careful when spraying aerosols and using hair straighteners or hair dryers

The latest fire risk assessments for each building at Homerton College are held at the Porters Lodge and are viewable on request.

There is a continuous program of review for these documents, to ensure that the action points are being completed, and that all out buildings are maintaining the highest fire safety standards.

Responsible Person

Gary Sharp - Assistant bursar

Persons appointed to assist

Chris Siebold - Head Porter

Alistair Glen - Deputy Head Porter

Alastair Meikle - Deputy Head Porter

Homerton College

Hills Road

Cambridge CB2 8PH

hpteam@homerton.cam.ac.uk