Fire Safety Guidelines

Heat detectors are provided in the kitchen in many properties and will not sound when cooking. However, the alarm can be activated by the smoke detector in the hall or corridor. This can be prevented by ensuring the kitchen door is closed during and after cooking together with the correct use of extractor fans. If this procedure is adopted and false alarms persist please contact your Accommodation Manager.

The fire alarm is often activated because the fire door to the kitchen/pantry is wedged open. Propping open the fire doors is a very serious offence and puts others` lives at risk. If you are found to be keeping fire doors open we will take the following action:

a) On the first occasion your Operations Manager/Warden will speak to the student(s) involved to ensure procedures on safety are understood. They will also be issued with a written warning.

b) On the second occasion the Director - Residence life, who is a named student discipline officer of the University, will use the Code of student conduct to enforce a fine up to a maximum of £250 against the student(s) responsible.

Toast, burnt food and grill pans

When cooking, food should never be left unattended. If called away, the toaster /cooker should be switched off and all food removed from the heat source. It is also important that the toaster/grill is cleaned regularly to stop deposits from collecting in or near heating elements. If failure to keep the area clean results in a fire situation you will be responsible for the excess on the insurance policy. 

Additional cooking appliances are not permitted in bedrooms. Any such appliances found will be instructed to be removed. Failure to do so will result in ACE removing the items to store.

Smoking - this includes e-cigarettes - is prohibited in all properties managed by ACE.

If Fire Alarms are activated due to residents or their guests smoking on these premises, the resident student(s) will be liable for a fine up to a maximum of £250 under the Code of Student Conduct.

If doors are not closed properly or extraction systems are not used steam from showers and bathrooms can penetrate corridors and activate detectors. Please do not run a bath or shower and leave the door onto the hall open. Care should also be taken to ensure the room is properly ventilated after use.

When using irons and hair straighteners you should avoid doing so beneath the detector heads.

If the alarm is activated by either of these means we will take the following action:

a) On the first occasion your Operations Manager/Customer Service Manager will speak to the student(s) involved to ensure procedures on safety are understood. They will also be issued with a written warning.

b) On the second occasion a named student discipline officer of the University, will investigate and may apply a fine up to a maximum of £250 allowed by the Code of Student Conduct against the student(s) responsible.

This is an extremely dangerous practice, which places at risk the lives of all occupants in the event of a fire. Interferences would include removal of a detector, covering a detector head, squirting liquid onto a detector head, removal of the battery. This and any other evidence of interference should be reported to the Operations Manager /Warden.

If it is found that a detector has been interfered with within your room, you will be charged the cost of the electrician rectifying the damage and resetting the panel. The student will also be fined up to a maximum of £250 under the Code of Student Conduct.

Students should be aware that most systems do pinpoint where on the system interference has taken place.

If there is interference with a detector head in the communal area of a flat or house ALL residents will be charged with the cost of resetting of the alarm and each resident will be subject to a disciplinary fine unless the responsible party comes forward.

This is a criminal offence. Both Police and Fire Brigade can prosecute anyone who maliciously activates a Fire Alarm System whether it is the activation of a detector or by breaking glass at an alarm point. Students can also be issued with a 'Notice to Quit' if they are proven to be a danger to others.

Please note that the terms of your lease state that you are responsible for the behaviour of your guests.

If a malicious discharge of an extinguisher occurs the tenants or the culprits will be charged with:

a) The cost of refilling the extinguisher
b) The cost of cleaning up the discharge from the extinguisher
c) The student(s) will be fined up to a maximum of £250.00 under the Code of Student Conduct. 

Disconnection of door closures, wedging doors open and use of over-door hangers

Any door fitted with a door closer is a fire door. These doors, when closed, are designed to delay the spread of fire. As such they are a vital part of the fire safety equipment provided in your house / flat. It is essential that door closers are not disconnected and that nothing is done to prevent doors closing such as wedging open. The tenant of any room found to have a disconnected door closer or wedging it open will be fined up to a maximum of £250 under the Code of Student Conduct. They will also be charged for any costs involved in reinstating the door closer.

To ensure fire safety, all doors are close fitting doors and have intumescent strips and seals as such to ensure they work properly you must never use an over-door hanger as these cause damage to the door and closer. If found to be using an over-door hanger you will be asked to remove it immediately and may be charged for any costs involved in repairing the door. Repeat offences may be subject to fines of up to £250 under the Code of Student Conduct.

Candles have been the cause of very serious fires in student accommodation in the past and we would draw student's attention to their contract, which states that you may not store in the property any gas/oil heater or other fuel-burning appliance, including candles. Any student(s) contravening this regulation will be fined up to a maximum of £250 under the Code of Student Conduct.

Smoke detectors are extremely sensitive and will activate where aerosols are discharged in the immediate vicinity of a detector head. Detector heads can also become "glued" by the aerosol spray, which creates difficulty in resetting the alarm system and may lead to other false alarms. We ask students to act with care to prevent such incidents and use aerosols well away from detector heads.

a) On the first occasion your Operations Manager / Customer Service Manager will speak to the student(s) involved to ensure procedures on safety are understood. They will also be issued with a written warning.

b) On the second occasion a named student discipline officer of the University, will investigate and may apply a fine up to a maximum of £250 allowed by the Code of Student Conduct against the student(s) responsible.

Many of our properties are fitted with panel or storage heaters. It is important that air circulates around the heater so that it does not overheat. It is therefore imperative that you do not cover the heaters or put items of furniture up against them. If they overheat they will either:

1. Cut out automatically, this will require an electrician to attend to re-set, you will be charged for this visit. or

2. There is a risk that the heat from the appliance may cause the items covering the heater to go on fire.

If you are not sure what type of heating you have please speak with your Accommodation Manager / Warden who will be able to advise.

Should we be aware of the heaters being covered we will take the following action:

a) On the first occasion your Operations Manager / Customer Service Manager will speak to the students involved to ensure procedures on safety are understood. They will also be issued with a written warning.

b) On the second occasion a named student discipline officer of the University, will investigate and may apply a fine up to a maximum of £250 allowed by the Code of Student Conduct against the student(s) responsible.