Fire Safety, Off Campus and On

According to the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security, five college students have died in Massachusetts in off-campus housing fires in the last 10 years. Photo by Flickr contributor Gabrielle Ludlow

A four-alarm fire that ripped through an Allston house occupied by 11 people in August is a timely reminder of the importance of fire safety, says Boston Fire Department spokesperson Steve MacDonald. MacDonald, who inspected the building after the fire, says he didn’t see the number of smoke alarms required by the city. He urges all students living in, or moving into, an apartment to report anything that looks unsafe by calling the mayor’s hotline at 311.

While no one was injured in last month’s blaze, which caused an estimated $1 million in damage and left 11 residents homeless, Boston has a tragic history of fires in off-campus student housing. According to the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Security, five college students have died in Massachusetts in off-campus housing fires in the last 10 years. Those deaths include Binland Lee (CAS’13), who was killed in a fire on Linden Street in Allston in 2013. Among the housing violations cited in the report of that deadly fire were the number of tenants—18 (the city permits no more than 4 undergraduates to live full-time in a house)—and only one exit from the floor below Lee’s room.

The owner of the residential building on Allston’s Myrick Street destroyed in last month’s fire is being investigated “for running an unregistered rooming house,” according to Lisa Timberlake, a spokesperson for the city’s Inspectional Services Department. And some internal doors in that building were found to be secured with padlocks, a violation of city housing rules.

Spurred in part by a Boston Globe investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire that killed Lee, the city of Boston has taken several steps to make off-campus apartments safer for students. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has secured agreement from area colleges to disclose addresses of students living off campus, which Walsh deems essential if the city is to stop overcrowding in apartments. (BU had already provided its students’ addresses following Lee’s death.)

Walsh’s administration is also trying to inspect thousands of rental units. Over Labor Day weekend, about 60 inspectors took part in the now-annual Boston Inspectional Services Department walk, which this year issued nearly 3,500 fines for property code violations and 365 violations of housing, building, and environmental codes, including 27 for nonworking smoke detectors or carbon dioxide detectors.

The city inspectors also checked for violations of the Boston zoning rule that prohibits more than four undergraduate students from living in an apartment together. Apartments must have at least 150 square feet for the first tenant and 100 square feet for each additional tenant.

BU students living off campus are beyond the purview of the University’s rigorous fire safety plan. But with a new school year under way, the University is advising students who live off campus of their rights as tenants, the need to be vigilant about safety, and the city and BU resources that can help them stay safe.

Federal statistics show 86 percent of college fire deaths since 2000 happened in off-campus housing. The University and the city of Boston provide online resources to help protect against such tragedies as Lee’s.

The Boston Fire Department has a web page of home fire safety tips, and the city has a web page that provides a home safety checklist. Every tenant should make sure that smoke detectors are installed and 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, What Students Need to Know Before Renting, lists renters’ rights, while yet another, 3 Tips for a Successful Move, lists resources like the city of Boston’s Bos:311service for reporting problems with unresponsive landlords and broken smoke alarms. Students whose landlords have refused to fix problems can contact Inspectional Services at 617-635-5300 to schedule an inspection of their unit. The department will cite the landlord for any violations and order the landlord to correct them.

“There are four things students should do, even before they move into their building, to ensure that they are protected,” says William “Buddy” Christopher, Inspectional Services commissioner. “First, they should survey the building and make sure that there are smoke detectors and that they are working. Second, they should make sure that there are carbon monoxide detectors and that they are working—all they have to do is press the alarm button on the detectors. Third, they should make sure that they have two clear means of egress. Last, they should look to see what kind of locking devices are in the unit or front door, including deadbolts or padlocks that would prevent them from getting out of the building in the event of a fire. We discourage individuals from smoking inside units, but if you are a smoker, make sure that you have a metal canister with sand or water to extinguish smoking materials safely. And don’t use candles. Most importantly, be prepared. We’ve seen rooms that were cluttered with furniture and clothing. Make sure you have a clear path to exits. Students who have concerns about the safety of their unit are urged to call 311 and ask for a safety inspection from Inspectional Services and the Boston Fire Department. It’s free of charge, there are no repercussions, and we can identify any issues and get them resolved.”

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 lives 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.
• 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 has information that is also distributed to students at housing fairs on both the Charles River Campus and Medical Campus, 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, he 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.