Tuesday’s Blizzard: What You Need to Know

Working smoke detectors are fire safety necessities during the blizzard forecast for Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Flickr contributor gabludlow

With power outages likely from a Tuesday blizzard forecast to dump up to three feet of snow on Boston, BU is reminding students to observe safety mandates—like no candles in dorms—and prudent safety advice, like staying indoors to avoid plummeting wind chills.

Tuesday’s nor’easter will pack a one-two punch—heavy snowfall along with winds up to 75 miles an hour—that meteorologists say will all but certainly down power lines and produce whiteout driving conditions. The Boston Globe quoted a spokesman for utility NStar saying that all its employees have been put on storm-response duty. The paper also said that the area’s other main utility, National Grid, has readied hundreds of utility workers, “including extra workers called up through partnerships with local construction contractors.”

The Dean of Students office says each of Residence Life’s hall/area offices has a limited supply of flashlights and RAs have a protocol to follow in the event of an outage, so students should seek them first for immediate information. Students are also advised to keep their cell phones as charged as possible so that if their building power fails they still can monitor University alerts on social media. The office also suggests that students call or text home to reassure parents, who have begun contacting the University because of worrisome media reports about the storm.

Students also can call the Boston University Police Department dispatch center (617-353-2121) at any time, “and we can get services to them or direct them to the appropriate location for services,” Police Chief Thomas Robbins says. Downed power lines or other storm damage should be reported either to the BUPD dispatch number or to 911, he says.

“Let me state the obvious: this is a big storm,” says Kenneth Elmore (SED’87), dean of students. “If you can, stay indoors. I understand that this is more than moderate snow over a few hours. We’ve been informed that we will experience blinding, wind-driven snow for several hours, accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, icing, sleet, and freezing rain. Therefore, it is essential to stay indoors, monitor local forecasts, and listen to directions from authorities. A student living off campus should check in with the owner of her or his building, prepare, and also stay indoors. If you must go outside for meals or an emergency”—dining halls will be open during the storm—“dress appropriately: layer up and bundle up.”

“Frolicking outside during a blizzard is a terrible idea,” Elmore says. “Wait until the height of the storm has passed before you go out and have fun in the snow.”

BU students living off campus are beyond the purview of the University’s rigorous fire safety plan, and federal statistics show 86 percent of college fire deaths since 2000 have happened in off-campus housing. The University and the city of Boston provide online resources, including the Boston Fire Department’s web page of home fire safety tips. The city also maintains a web page with a home safety checklist. Every tenant should make sure that smoke detectors are working and notify the landlord immediately if they’re not. (Three quarters of residential fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke detector.)

Another city web page, Top 10 Things Students Need to Know, lists renters’ rights and other important information, while yet another, Ten Tips for Moving to Boston, lists resources like the mayor’s 24-hour service center for reporting problems and requesting services. BU’s safety website details the University’s fire regulations and fire safety advice. The University also posts a fire-safety-at-a-glance page.

Even simple, commonsense precautions can save life and property. Not using candles is one: wax-with-wicks are the most common fire-starters among college students. That’s why BU dorms ban candles, as well as incense, open flames, and smoking. The US Fire Administration’s safety tip sheet notes five common factors in fires in off-campus student housing: lack of fire sprinklers; missing or disabled smoke alarms (do not disable smoke alarms, no matter how annoying the occasional cooking-triggered blast); haphazard disposal of cigarettes; tenant drunkenness leading to misjudgments; and combustible upholstered deck and porch furniture.

Other highlights from these various safety experts:

• Don’t overload electrical outlets.
• Have a fire extinguisher within easy reach. Know where it is. Also, purchase flashlights and extra smoke detectors and batteries for both. Barnes & Noble at BU stocks these items, but will be closed Tuesday and won’t reopen until noon Wednesday.
• Have an escape route planned and make sure it’s always free of debris.
• Whenever an alarm sounds, assume it’s for a reason and get out.
• Make sure there is a smoke detector outside each sleeping area in the apartment.
• Have a carbon monoxide detector on each level of the house.
• Never use a gas stove or oven to heat your place; it could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• If you grill, watch where you do it. Boston and Brookline ban charcoal grills on wooden porches. And make sure you put out the embers with water when you’re finished. As for gas grills, state law forbids their use or storage anywhere inside or above the first floor of any residence.

BU’s Environmental Health and Safety website includes information that is also distributed to students at housing fairs on both campuses, typically in April and May, says Bob Whitfield, director of campus and clinical safety. That information includes a fire safety checklist, emergency preparedness kits, fire safety questions to ask before signing a lease or moving into an apartment, how to host safe parties, and more, Whitfield says.

If precautions fail and a fire breaks out, the best advice is the most obvious, according to the experts: get out and call the fire department.

Amy Laskowski contributed to this article.